Emerald Avenue
by Icy Knuckles
Summary: Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver are all drug lords and best friends in Station Square. Watch what happens as they travel from childhood to adulthood and see the world through their eyes. Slight Sonamy, KnuxRouge, and Shadlaze is included.
1. A Bad Omen

_ICY KNUCKLES is back with a new story. This is my first rated M story, but I can guarantee that you'll love it. _

* * *

_Now see your determination,_

_It over exceeded your high education_

_And instead you became a street scholar_

_You bet, broke bread, as you knew the other 3 would follow_

_But now you're mind, your aura: melancholy_

_Your reign over Station Square begins_

_Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver_

* * *

_Sonic's POV_

Shadow, Silver and I sat in our hotel room, getting ready for the exchange. There was silence between us as we got our pistols ready. Two things you learned in this trade was to always be prepared and never trust anybody. A total of six guns lay out on the table. We all grabbed our pistols and started making preparations. Silver and I both had chrome 9 mms, and Shadow carried a black .45. As we sat there, we all made sure that we had fresh clips. We assumed that Jack was doing the same at the drop location.

I looked out of the window and started thinking of all the events that happened up to this point. I was starting to doubt that this was what I wanted to do with my life. Then, I started to worry. As I looked up at the cloudy sky, something deep within me started to shiver. It felt like a bad omen, but I continued preparing for today, not knowing what today would bring to me.

* * *

_Warehouse 59…_

There's a small place in the pit of my stomach that only reveals itself in times like this. I should be used to this by now. This was a routine that I knew too well. Shadow, Silver, and I have been through this too many times to count. Maybe I felt like this because this time, someone was missing. Still, something's not right. The pit never lies.

Shadow, Silver, and I all stood in front of a warehouse door. Shadow was carrying a briefcase full of the exchange money. We were all wearing our "business suits", which consisted of executive-type suits with a trench coat. We all wore the same kind of suits. They only differed in color. Silver's was gray, Shadow's was black, and mine was navy-blue.

The door was raised slowly. We waited patiently as the door rose, never showing any signs of emotion. The worst thing you could do during an exchange was allow the other exchange members to read you. By remaining emotionless, you show just how experienced and hard you really were. We did not move until the door was fully raised. Then, we simultaneously walked into the warehouse with our guns lowered at our sides. It's too late to turn back now.

Jack and his other three crew members were all sitting down at a table inside the warehouse. Jack was a Cuban hedgehog that wore a leather jacket. His three crew members were all Cuban hedgehogs as well. They all had very dark tans. Jack took a puff from his cigar and stood as we approached the table where they sat.

"Hey, aloha. What's up, fellas?" greeted Jack. Cigar smoke came out his mouth as he spoke.

"What's up….Jack," I said, keeping my cool and blank expression.

Jack pointed at the briefcase that Shadow was holding. "Is that the money?" he asked.

"It ain't my laundry," I replied.

"Well, then, let's see it," he said.

"The shit first, papi," said Silver.

"You're cautious, huh? I like cautious." He turned to one of his enforcers, who was also holding a briefcase. "Pedro, show them the _shit_."

One of the hedgehogs undid the buckles on the briefcase and revealed 20 keys of yayo. (That's 20 kilograms of cocaine.) After he was sure that we had had a good look, he closed the briefcase.

"Why don't you hedgehogs do what you do best and show me the money," he demanded as he took another puff of his cigar.

I looked at Shadow, which gave him the order to do so. Shadow undid our briefcase and revealed our 14 million dollars of cold, hard cash.

"It's all there," I said.

Jack took a look at the money. Then, he took a look at Shadow.

"Yeah, your money's good, but your partner here looks like he has a problem. What are you so nervous about, homes?" he asked.

Shadow did have an unusual look on his face. He looked angry. Even with that look, Shadow replied in the calmest of ways. He simply said, "It's all good."

One of the Cuban hedgehogs that had a scar on his face gripped his semi-automatic Uzi a little tighter.

"Silver, check the shit. Let's get the fuck out of here," I said.

The Cubans all stepped to the side and allowed Silver over to the table where they had set their yayo. Silver set down his gun and began the tests. The tests were to make sure that the yayo was pure.

Silver had set his gun too close to a bottle of Samuel Adams beer that was also on the table. The bottle began to rock around the table in a circular motion. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as I saw the bottle fall down onto the table. I could hear my own heartbeat as the bottle slowly rolled towards the end of the table. I looked to my right to see Shadow biting his lip quite rapidly with that same angry expression on his face. He had broken out into a cold sweat. Silver stopped the tests and looked over at the bottle as it fell to the floor. It appeared to fall so slow to me that I could watch it fall every inch accurately. Then, it shattered. The next thing I heard was gunshots.

They say that life comes down to a series of moments, and in those moments are choices. Decisions that we can make that could affect our lives forever. We were in one of the worst fights that we had ever been in, but all I could think about was one question. It was a question that kept entering into my mind. The question was "How did we get here"?

* * *

_That's chapter one of my new story, Emerald Avenue. The first part was a little piece of poetry that I threw in there. I hope you liked it. The first chapter may seem confusing, but I promise you that all things will be made clear once the story progresses. Be sure to review. Please!_

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	2. Treat Him Like a Bitch

_Well, here's chapter 2. Again, if you didn't understand chapter one, keep reading. It'll make sense and clear up all the questions you might have. _

* * *

_14 years ago…_

_Sonic's P.O.V_

Shadow, Silver, myself, and Knuckles had hung together since the second grade. We waged a war at Station Square High every day that summer on the basketball court. We were called out by Mephiles and his crew one day. Mephiles the Dark was a 17 year old hedgehog that swore that he was coming up in the world. He thought that playing us in a game of basketball would be easy money because we were younger than them. We played because twenty bucks is hard to come by when you're a teenager. At least, it is where we're from.

Normal P.O.V.

Sonic passed the ball to Shadow. Shadow crossed over the person that was guarding him. Then, he passed the ball to Silver, who was waiting on the 3-point line. He launched it from behind the ark for three points. Nothing but net. This time, Silver passed the ball in to Sonic. Sonic was guarded by Mephiles. He released a short jumper inside the ark, but missed. Luckily, Knuckles rebounded the ball and did a lay-up for two points. That ended the game.

Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and Silver started celebrating their victory by taunting Mephiles and his crew and praising themselves. Afterwards, they walked over to Mephiles and his crew. Unbeknownst to them, there were two girls that were watching them play: a pink hedgehog and a white bat.

"Yeah, motherfuckers!" said Sonic with a smile.

"Who's the squad now!" said Shadow.

The look on Mephiles face confirmed that he was pissed.

"Hey, shut the fuck up," said Mephiles.

"Hey, where the money at, Mephiles?" asked Knuckles.

"Hell yeah! Hand us our twenty dollars you no skills having ass motherfuckers," said Silver with a smirk.

One of Mephiles' boys walked up in Silver's face. "Watch your fucking mouth, dolomite," said the echidna. He was wearing a du-rag and a wife beater.

Sonic stepped between them and pushed the echidna back.

"Back the fuck up. Hey, Mephiles, hand us our loot," said Sonic.

"We ain't got no loot," said Mephiles.

All of their eyes grew big when they heard those words. Their eyes were full of rage and anger.

"What?" asked Knuckles.

"You're acting like a bitch. So we're going to treat you like a bitch," said Sonic.

"Fuck you. I'm not giving you all shit," said Mephiles.

That did it. Sonic and the others looked at each other. Then, they attacked. Knuckles led the charge. He punched the guy that was standing in front of him. Then, the rest of them followed suit. Silver hit the echidna that jumped in his face. Shadow hit another hedgehog. Sonic hit Mephiles.

On the side, the two girls were yelling.

"Stop it!" yelled the pink hedgehog.

She started to run out there, but her arm was held by her bat friend.

"Don't be a fool. You're liable to get yourself hurt if you walk out there. It's best to let someone else help," said the white bat.

Knuckles was fighting with another echidna. He punched Knuckles hard in the face. Knuckles punched him back even harder. The other echidna that was fighting Silver grabbed him from behind. Silver squirmed free by elbowing him in the face. Then, he turned around and punched him in the head. He fell to the ground and Silver continued working on him. Mephiles kept trying to grab Sonic, but Sonic was kneeing him in the face. The hedgehog that Shadow was fighting was weak. Shadow had taken him down and kicked him. He stayed down.

Mephiles had finally tackled Sonic to the ground. He sat on top of Sonic and started beating his face in. Then, Shadow stepped in and grabbed Mephiles and threw him off of Sonic. Then, Sonic and Shadow both started fighting Mephiles. Knuckles grabbed the echidna he was fighting by the arm and gave it a twist. A loud crunching sound could be heard as the echidna yelled out in pain. Then, Knuckles gave him a hard punch in the face, which knocked one of his teeth out. The echidna fell to the ground and was holding his arm.

The pink hedgehog continued yelling for them to stop fighting, but they wouldn't listen. She saw a Cadillac parked in front of the school basketball court. She ran over as fast as she could. There were two birds sitting in the car. The hedgehog banged on the window.

"Please, you've got to stop them. They're going to kill each other," she said.

One of the birds in the car took off his hat as he began observing the scene. One of the guys was stretched out. Knuckles continued to beat the echidna that he already injured. Silver was still going head to head with the echidna in the du-rag. Mephiles was being jumped by Sonic and Shadow, but he was still holding his ground.

"Is that our people?" asked the bald eagle. He looked like he was in his late 50s and wore nice clothes.

"I think so," said the other bird. He was a wren that was also wearing a hat and nice clothes. He was a lot younger. He looked like he was only about 23.

The pink hedgehog continued to bang on the window of the car.

"Please!" she yelled.

"Break that shit up," said the bald eagle.

The wren exited the car and ran over to the court. His name was Renaldo Jenkins, but everyone called him Wren. He worked for the bald eagle named Benjamin A. Whitman, a.k.a Benny. Benny had no moral convictions on how he made money. He was definitely into prostitution, extortion, and drugs. His main commodity was contributing to the delinquency of every kid in the neighborhood.

Wren went over and pulled Mephiles away from Sonic and Shadow. Then, he went over and pulled the echidna that was fighting Silver away with the other hand. The one that Shadow knocked out was slowly coming to. He got up and joined the others. Wren let go of the echidna and held Mephiles' face with both hands.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" asked Wren. "This is the attention that we don't need."

"They started it, Wren," said the echidna in the wife beater.

Wren pointed at the echidna.

"You shut the fuck up," Wren told the echidna.

Wren turned to look at Sonic and the crew. Their clothes were torn, they were bleeding in places, and they had a few bruises. Other than that, they looked okay. The echidna in the wife beater had a busted lip. Mephiles himself even had a scrape on the face.

"How old are you, man?" asked Wren.

"Fourteen," said Sonic.

Wren chuckled lightly.

"You and your little team got a lot of heart. Don't lose that," he said. "Get out of here."

"Hell no. They owe us money," said Shadow.

The hedgehog that Shadow knocked out stepped up and tried to attack Shadow again, but he was quickly caught by Wren.

"Hey, Tre. If you try that shit again, I'm going to fuck you up myself," said Wren.

Wren turned back to Sonic. "How much do they owe you?"

"Twenty dollars," said Sonic.

Wren turned back to Mephiles.

"Where the money at?" he asked.

"I ain't got no money," said Mephiles.

"Come here," said Wren.

Wren grabbed Mephiles with one hand and searched his pockets with the other. He pulled out an ounce of marijuana from Mephiles' pockets and handed it to Sonic.

"That's going to have to do," said Wren.

"What are we supposed to do with this?" asked Sonic.

"I don't know. Smoke it, sniff it, or sell it? It's worth a lot more than twenty dollars," said Wren.

"Give me my shit back, Sonic," said Mephiles.

"This will do," said Sonic with a smirk. He, Silver, Knuckles, and Shadow all walked off. Silver gave a small smirk before turning to leave as well.

"Hey, Sonic," called out Mephiles. "I'm coming back for my shit."

Sonic pulled a blunt out of his pocket and lit it. "You know you better hurry the fuck up, right." Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver all began to laugh. Silver flipped off Mephiles and his crew while laughing.

As they were about to leave, Sonic looked over at the pink hedgehog and the white bat. He tapped Knuckles on his shoulder and pointed at the girls. Then, both he and Knuckles went over to the girls.

"Hi!" said Sonic.

"Hi!" responded the pink hedgehog.

"I just wanted to thank you for what you tried to do for us," said Sonic.

"Yeah. It was real…. sweet," said Knuckles as he and the white bat's eyes met.

"Well, we were just trying to help, and we're glad you're alright," said the pink hedgehog.

"We'll see you guys later," said the bat.

"Hold up a second. What's your name?" asked Knuckles.

"It's Rouge," replied the bat.

"My name is Amy," said the pink hedgehog.

"Do you go to Station Square High?" asked Knuckles.

"Yeah. You're in my Algebra class," she replied.

"I am? Why haven't I noticed you before?" he asked.

"Well, better late than never, I suppose," replied Rouge.

"I guess we'll see you around," said Sonic.

"Not if we see you first," said Amy. "Bye."

"Bye."

When Amy and Rouge turned to leave, Sonic made a kissing sound in her direction. Then, he took another hit of his blunt. Knuckles came over and started walking with Sonic.

"I know that grin. What do you have on your mind?" he asked.

"That girl, Amy, is fine. That's no lie," said Sonic.

Knuckles looked over at the girls and caught one last glimpse of Rouge before she was out of sight.

"I know what you mean, but let's get out of here," he said.

* * *

_That's chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be sure to update soon. Everything's starting to set up for the climax. The next chapter will be fire like always so you don't want to miss my update. It will be soon. Oh, and yes, there will be more SonAmy and KnuxRouge in the later chapters too._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	3. Blazing Up

_I'm back with chapter 3. I know that this story is a little unorthodox, but it's actually good material. Keep reading because it gets better. I appreciate and accept all reviews._

_Disclaimer: I do not own anyone in this story affiliated with the Sonic Universe._

* * *

After the fight with Mephiles, Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver all walked down the street. They were heading for Shadow's grandmother's house to blaze up. As they passed through a neighborhood, someone called out to them.

"Well, goddamn. You little pimps look fucked up," said the voice.

They all turned around simultaneously to see a red echidna that wore a white suit and hat. He had a double gold chain around his neck, a Cuban cigar in his hand, and wore blue Stacy Adams shoes. He had the look of a real pimp. In fact, he was a real pimp.

"Locke!" said the boys at the same time.

They went over to where he was standing, which was in front of his 75' Cadillac.

"What's happening, Locke?" greeted Shadow.

"What's up, little man? What the fuck happened to yall?" he asked.

He placed his hand on Knuckles' cheek like a father would do and examined the scratch that was left there. Knuckles quickly lowered Locke's hand.

"Hey, man. Sometimes you got to fight to keep what's yours. You know how that shit go," said Knuckles.

"Hell, yeah. Ain't that the motherfucking truth? Do you got a ho to take care of you?" asked Locke.

No, but we're okay. We can take care of ourselves," said Knuckles.

Locke took a hit from his cigar. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a clip of money. Then he handed it to Knuckles.

"Look here. Get yourself a ho. Buy her something nice. Okay? Treat her like something special. If you take care of your hos, your hos will take care of you," said Locke.

All the boys began to chuckle to themselves. They loved to hear Locke talk about pimping.

"Thanks, Locke," said Knuckles.

"Alright. Take care of yourselves," said Locke. He turned around to get in his Cadillac.

"Hey, Locke. Where are all your hos?" asked Silver.

Locke turned around after taking another hit from the cigar.

"Let me learn you something, young pimp. Those hos are for dough, not for show," he said.

Silver and the rest of them began to laugh again. He said his goodbyes to the boys and got in his Cadillac. Then, the boys all continued their walk to Shadow's grandmother's house.

* * *

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" asked Knuckles.

"It's okay. Grandma is at choir practice at the church," said Shadow.

They all sat down in the living room. Sonic pulled out the bag of marijuana. Then, Shadow rolled up a blunt. He passed it to Silver first. Silver took out a cigarette lighter and lit the blunt.

"Light that bud up," said Sonic in a laid back tone.

Silver took the first hit of the marijuana. It was too much for him and he began to cough after about five seconds of inhaling. The rest of them started laughing at Silver's lack of experience. He then passed it to Shadow.

"Give me that before you hurt yourself," said Shadow.

Shadow inhaled it nice. He took it better than Silver did.

"Yeah," said Shadow in a laid back tone. As he spoke, smoke came out of his mouth and nose simultaneously.

Sonic took himself a quick hit and passed it on to Knuckles. Knuckles handled it like a pro. He took himself a big hit and was able to keep from coughing. Smoke escaped through his mouth in tiny intervals.

"Now that's smoking right there. Where'd you learn to do that?" asked Shadow.

"Come on. You don't everything about me, dawg," said Knuckles.

"Whatever, but did you all hear what Wren said today. He said that we had heart. Coming from him, that means something," said Shadow.

As Shadow and the rest were talking and smoking, his uncle, Shade, walked into the room. Shadow's uncle Shade was one of those guys who could never quite get it right. He's the type of person that wears tacky clothes, can't keep the job, always begging, etc. He's the type of guy that you'd have to be in the mood to have around.

"What are you guys doing in here?" asked Shade.

"Look at him. He's a thirty-four year old fuckup," said Knuckles.

"You're not going to tell Grandma. Are you?" asked Shadow.

"Y-y-you better believe that I am," he said.

Shadow sighed. Then, he passed Shade the blunt.

"Here. Just take a hit," said Shadow.

Sonic, Silver, and Knuckles mumbled something in the background. Apparently, they didn't want Shade smoking up their stuff either. Shade took him a big hit.

"I want you to do a favor for me," he said.

"You mean that smoking my shit up ain't enough?" asked Shadow.

Shade continued to smoke up the blunt while the rest watched.

"I want you and your friends to take a run for me," said Shade.

"Will we be straight after that?" Shadow asked.

"Like an erection in the morning," said Shade.

The others kept mumbling in the background. Then, Sonic finally said something audible.

"Man, I don't even like Shade," he said.

"Alright. We'll do it," said Shadow.

* * *

It was sunset when the guys left to do the favor for Shade. Before leaving, Shadow put a red bandana on his head. As they walked, Silver finished off a soda that he had bought and threw the can at the garbage can on the road, but he missed.

"Brick!" said Shadow.

"What? I bet you all can't do it," said Silver.

"You shouldn't have said that shit," said Sonic.

Sonic stepped across the street. Silver and Shadow both raced over to the can in order to see who could sink the shot. Knuckles was still standing in the street.

A car came speeding down the street. Knuckles turned around to see the car heading directly towards him. It showed no signs of slowing up. The headlights were bright; so the driver obviously saw Knuckles, but he continued going.

"Knuckles!" called out Sonic.

Knuckles could not hear Sonic or move. He was in shock. His eyes were focused only on the bright headlights heading directly for him. Knuckles thought that he had reached his end. The next thing he knew, Knuckles was lying on the ground across the street with Sonic lying right next to him. Sonic had pushed Knuckles across the street right in time to avoid contact with the car. The pain from the collision with the ground snapped Knuckles out of his state of shock.

Silver and Shadow walked over.

"Are you alright?" asked Silver.

"Yeah. We're cool," said Knuckles, wiping the grass off of his clothes.

"Alright. Let's go," said Shadow.

The others went on ahead, but Knuckles took one last look at the car before it was out of sight. It looked like the driver didn't care about his life or if it ended.

"Hey, Knuckles. Come on," said Sonic.

Knuckles caught up with the rest of his friends, and they continued the walk.

Upon reaching the house that Shade had sent them to, they noticed someone leaving the house.

"Hey, isn't that Mr. Thomas leaving the house?" asked Silver.

"The social studies teacher?" asked Shadow.

The boys took a closer look.

"Damn! That is him. I guess even scholarly-type motherfuckers have to get their blaze on, too," said Knuckles.

"That's why his ass is always so damn happy in class. He has been getting faded in the teacher's lounge," said Sonic.

They all began to laugh as they entered the house.

_Sonic's P.O.V._

If you wanted weed, you could just about go anywhere. There were plenty of dealers who would sell you a nickel or dime bag or whatever you were into, but for variety and that really good stuff you had to go to Sam's place. Sam never ran out of your favorite stash. He was just good like that. He was a forty-one year old mongoose who spent most of his days in his drug lab in his basement, growing up more and more bud. Tonight, however, he was in his house watching a baseball game. He had a few goons hanging around. They were his enforcers in case someone tried to take off without paying. They were getting blazed off of Sam's stuff.

We walked through the house to where Sam was.

_Normal P.O.V_

Who's winning?" asked Shadow.

Sox. Last inning. Wright just hit a double," said Sam.

Sam looked up and saw Shadow.

"Shade must be feeling pretty good if he let you out after dark. The usual?"

"No, he want four toxics and four ounces of the Buddha," said Shadow.

"Alright. I'll be back. Don't none of you little motherfuckers touch my food," said Sam.

Sam went in the back. In about thirty seconds, he came back out and dropped a bag on the table. Before Shadow was able to pay him, a junkie came through. He was trying to leave without paying. One of Sam's goons grabbed him. Before long, it turned into a skirmish. Both of Sam's goons and even Sam started to beat down the junkie.

While they weren't looking, Shadow grabbed the bag off of the table.

"Come on, guys. Let's go," he said,

"You're not going to pay?" asked Knuckles.

"Sometimes you get on my motherfucking nerves with that shit," said Shadow.

"How are we going to get out of here?" asked Sonic. "They're blocking the door."

Shadow looked around.

"Let's go out the back door," said Shadow.

They all ran out of the living room and ran for the back door. Sam was still quarrelling with the junkie. On their way, they passed through a hallway that had a bookshelf full of different types of marijuana. Shadow stopped to gaze upon the bags of weed.

"Come on, Shadow. Let's go," the boys called out to Shadow.

Shadow snapped out of it and followed them out the back door. After making it outside, they ran all the way up the street until they were about a block and a half away from Sam's place.

"Is there anybody coming?" asked Shadow once they stopped.

Sonic looked back.

"They probably don't even know that we've left yet," he said. "How much shit did you get?"

"Man, I don't know."

Shadow pulled the bag out of his pocket.

"Damn! We're going to get higher than a motherfucker," said Silver.

Everyone else looked like they were in agreement, but Sonic looked like he had something else on his mind.

"What do you have in mind, Sonic?" asked Shadow.

"What if we didn't smoke all of it?" asked Sonic.

"I know you ain't talking about selling it," said Knuckles.

"Why not?" asked Sonic.

"But where? Mephiles and his crew have the market on lock on this whole side of town," said Shadow.

"And in case you don't remember, that was Benny in that Cadillac earlier today," said Silver.

"I ain't trying to fuck with Benny," said Knuckles.

"Who said anything about selling it on the streets? We could sell it at school. All you have there is a few burnouts selling nickel bags to their friends. We'd be the only crew. We could supply the burnouts and take their customers, and that ain't even the beautiful thing.

"What's the beautiful thing?" asked Knuckles.

"We don't have to worry about getting caught because we're going to be supplying the teachers too.

"No teachers are going to buy any herb, Sonic," said Silver.

"Hey, we just saw Mr. Thomas buy from Sam today," said Shadow. "I'm with you, Sonic.

"Me, too," said Knuckles.

"Let's do this," said Silver.

They all shook hands as a sign of their agreement.

_Sonic's P.O.V._

When we ran out of the stash that we ripped off from Sam, we started buying from him to supply our customers. Shade squared it with Sam about us stealing from him; so we let him get high as much as he wanted to. We were buying so much shit that it didn't matter to us. At first, we thought that the money was pretty good, but we had to give so much of it back to Sam that we realized that he was the one getting paid. That was when I decided to grow our own shit. Then, the money came in nonstop. Shadow got pretty good at growing that shit, too. Locke helped us out by letting us use the back room of one of his girls' apartment. We gave a couple hundred dollars to her every once in a while for letting us use her place. She appreciated that and let us know, especially Silver. He was always getting 'appreciation' from her. We couldn't believe the life that we were living.

* * *

Shadow was heading down Emerald Avenue one evening when he was suddenly grabbed by someone. It was the echidna that Silver had fought on the basketball court.

"Where are you going, Shadow?" he asked.

Shadow tried to break free, but he suddenly found himself surrounded by four people. It was Mephiles' entire crew from the basketball game that turned into a fight. They all surrounded him, including Mephiles.

"That's some nice new gear that you have on, Shadow," said Mephiles.

Mephiles punched Shadow in the face. Then, the echidna that Knuckles was fighting that day punched him in the stomach. The hedgehog he fought was next to get some. He hit Shadow in the eye. Then, the echidna that Silver fought punched him twice in the stomach. It made him kneel over. Mephiles punched him in the back, which made him fall to the ground. They didn't let him stay down. Mephiles picked him up. Silver's echidna held him.

"Man, what the fuck do you all want?" Shadow asked.

"You ain't so tough without your little crew. Are you, you little punk?" said the hedgehog that he fought.

Mephiles grabbed him.

"I told Sonic that I was coming back for my shit. Didn't I?" said Mephiles. I guess that we're going to have to take it out of your ass, eh Shadow?"

The echidna that Silver fought punched him in the stomach. Then, he punched Shadow in the jaw. Then, they all passed Shadow around so that everyone got a chance to hit him. All of them started beating on him until his body hit the ground. Then, all four of the seventeen year old delinquents started stomping and kicking Shadow until he stopped moving.

"We're going to beat down on all you punk bitches. This is our motherfucking block!" said Mephiles.

He kicked Shadow one last time.

Then, Mephiles and his crew walked off, leaving Shadow lying there, motionless.

* * *

_Relax! Shadow's not dead, but he did get beat down pretty bad. Want to know what Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver did to retaliate against Mephiles? Wait for my next update._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	4. Control the Market

_I'm back with another chapter. Let's see what happens to our young drug lords. Just to clear up some confusion, Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and Silver are all fourteen. Mephiles and his crew are all 17._

_

* * *

_Sonic walked into his room and put a stash of money in a shoebox. Little to his knowledge, his little brother was watching him put up his cash.

"Where'd you get that money, Sonic?" asked the ten year old.

Sonic hurriedly closed the shoebox and turned to face his little brother. He sat on the bed next to his brother.

"Manic, you're my brother, right?

The green hedgehog nodded.

"That means that we have a special bond that we share with no one else." Sonic took a short breath. "Manic, this here is drug money."

"Aren't drugs bad?" asked Manic.

"Yes, which is why you can't tell Mom and Dad about this. If they found out, it wouldn't be for the best. I know that this game is dangerous. That is why I'm going to get out when the time is right. I've been reading up on how to make investments, and I'm going to make us all rich, but in order to do that, I'm going to need you to be quiet about all this. Can I count on you?"

Manic gave his brother his own signature thumbs up. "You can count on me."

Sonic gave Manic a pat on the head. "Come on. Let's go downstairs for dinner before Mom comes up here yelling."

Sonic and Manic got off the bed at the same time and went downstairs together. Already sitting at the table were Sonic and Manic's mother, father, and sister, Sonia.

"What took you boys so long?" asked their father. He was a green hedgehog. Manic was an exact copy of his father. When he got older, he was going to look just like his father.

"We were just having a… talk," said Sonic.

"Well, sit down and have some of my mashed potatoes and fried chicken," said Sonic's mother. She was a cerulean hedgehog with hot pink highlights. The highlights were natural, which is probably where Sonia got her coloring from.

"Mommy, I hate mashed potatoes," said Sonia.

"Eat up, honey. They'll make you grow up big and strong like your brother, Sonic," said their mother. "Speaking of Sonic, did you tell your father about your report card?"

Sonic looked at his father. His father began to chuckle.

"All A's again? Son, if you keep this up, we're going to have to send you to Harvard," said Sonic's father.

Sonic looked across the table to see his mother's brilliant smile. Her face lit up at the thought of her son going to Harvard and getting a real good education.

Suddenly, there was a light knock at the door.

"I'll get it," said Sonic.

"No. I'll get it. Finish your dinner," said Sonic's father. He got up and left the table. Sonic's dad returned a few seconds later. "It's Knuckles and Silver."

Knuckles and Silver both walked into the kitchen.

"What's up, man? What are you two doing here? Do you want some chicken?" asked Sonic.

Silver sighed. Then, he scratched the back of his head.

"We got a problem, man," he said.

"What has happened?" asked Sonic.

"It's Shadow," said Knuckles.

* * *

Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver rushed over to Shadow's grandmother's house after Knuckles and Silver filled Sonic in on the situation. Sonic knocked on the door. Shadow's uncle, Shade, answered the door, looking raggedy as usual.

"Sonic, Knuckles, Silver," greeted Shade with an emotionless expression.

"Broke-ass Shade," responded Silver with the same look.

"Did somebody break your legs, too? It took you all long enough to get here," said Shade.

"Whatever. Can we see him?" asked Sonic.

Shade stepped out of the way.

"Come on in," he said.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver all walked in. Lying on the couch where they all had gotten high on a few months ago was Shadow. His face was swollen He was wrapped up in a quilt and wearing plaid pajamas. Obviously his grandma was babying him because she was sitting next to where he was laying on the couch and feeding him some applesauce. She was black, but her quills had turned gray due to old age.

Shadow turned to see his friends standing in the room. His face lit up as he smiled.

"Hey! What's up, fellas?" he greeted in a raspy voice.

"Hey, Shadow. You feeling okay?" asked Knuckles.

"Grandma, I really need to talk to my friends," said Shadow.

"I'm not going anywhere until you finish this applesauce," said Shadow's grandma.

"Don't worry about a thing, Mrs. Hedgehog. I'll make sure that he eats it. All of it," said Sonic.

Shadow's grandma smiled. She really liked Sonic and thought that he was a good kid. "Okay, but I'll be right outside if you need anything," she said.

She handed Sonic the bowl of applesauce and left the room. Shade followed behind her.

"Make sure he eats it before Knuckles gets his fat hands on it," said Shade.

"Hey, this is all muscle. That's something you crack heads have a hard time getting," said Knuckles.

Shade didn't respond and left the room. Sonic sat down where Shadow's grandma had sat earlier. Silver and Knuckles stood.

"I ain't going to feed you," said Sonic, placing the bowl on the coffee table. "Do you feel as bad as you look?"

"Worse."

"It was Mephiles and his crew. Wasn't it?" asked Knuckles.

"Yeah."

"It doesn't make sense. Why would he fuck you up like this over a few ounces of weed from three months ago?" asked Silver.

"What are you talking about, Silver? We embarrassed him in front of Benny. Do you know how bad he must've felt. I'd say that you got off lucky, Shadow. He could have killed you," said Knuckles.

"I disagree with that, Knuckles," said Sonic. "Mephiles wouldn't come after you over a few ounces from three months ago. Too much time has passed. So what happened, Shadow?"

"Look, I was doing some business on the street, okay," said Shadow.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver all looked at Shadow like he was stupid.

"You bullshitting, right?" asked Knuckles.

"We said 'only at school'," said Sonic.

"I know what we said, but there's money out there on the streets," said Shadow.

"So in other words, you almost get killed for a few pennies. Are you stupid?" asked Knuckles.

"Pennies? Silver, go grab that jar of peanuts under the table," said Shadow.

Silver went and fetched the jar from under a table. He could see the money in the jar. He gets the jar and passes it to Shadow. Shadow struggles to open the jar, but he was still weakened from his beating.

"Man, let me help you."

Knuckles takes the jar from Shadow and opens it with ease. He and Silver is amazed at what they see. Knuckles hesitates in passing the jar back to Shadow. The jar is crammed with hundred dollar bills. He shows them to his friends.

"This is only from working the streets for three weeks. Imagine ALL of us working the streets for months or even years. Imagine all the shit we could buy, Sonic," said Shadow.

"What about Mephiles? We still got to deal with him," said Silver.

"Man, fuck Mephiles. Look." Shadow pulled back the quilt and revealed a .9mm pistol.

"Where the fuck did you get that?" asked Knuckles.

"Steve and Rodney from my study hall class robbed a gun store a few nights ago in Nights Babylon. They got all kinds of steel. We can get anything we want," said Shadow.

"Let's go," said Sonic.

Sonic got up and they all headed for the door.

"Get better, soon," said Silver.

"Hey! I want y'all to know that I wasn't holding out on y'all. I was going to tell you. I just had to see what was out there on the streets for myself," said Shadow.

"We know," they all said.

"Take care of that eye, man," said Knuckles.

Then, they all walked out.

* * *

The school bell rung, which signaled the end of school. Amy Rose exited the school and walked down the steps. She suddenly heard a few girls giggling and saying "Hi, Sonic."

Sonic gave the girls a wave as they walked past him. He wasn't interested in them. His eyes were on Amy. Amy walked down the steps and headed for home. She acted as if Sonic didn't exist. Sonic quickly walked up to her.

"You're not going to speak?" he asked.

"Are you talking to me?" asked Amy.

"I'm not talking to myself," said Sonic.

"I don't think that I remember your name," replied Amy.

"Oh, so you're going to do me like that," said Sonic.

"Listen, you're cute and all, but I can't be messing with no drug dealers. Where's Rouge?" asked Amy.

"There she is." Sonic pointed to Rouge, but she was not alone. She was accompanied by a red echidna who seemed to be walking her home.

"Great!" said Amy sarcastically.

"Let them be. Oh, and I'm not a drug dealer," said Sonic.

"Sonic, I'm not that stupid."

"So you do remember my name," said Sonic with a smirk.

"Okay, so maybe I do, but that still doesn't change the fact that you're a…" Amy's sentence was cut short when Sonic pulled a blue jewelry box out of his jacket.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Open it."

Amy took the blue box and opened it. It was a necklace that contained seven glass jewels that mimicked the legendary seven chaos emeralds.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"It's yours."

"I can't take this." She placed it back in Sonic's hand.

"You have to. It's nonrefundable," said Sonic.

Amy turned her back to him. Sonic undid the necklace and placed it around Amy's neck.

"Listen, I hear you on this whole drug dealer thing. I'm not involved with any drugs. I just help out my friends from time to time," he said.

"That's all?"

"That's all. I promise."

Amy finally turned around to look at Sonic.

"Thanks for the necklace," she said.

"So can I walk you home?"

"Okay," she said as they began to walk.

"You look beautiful with that."

* * *

_Later that week…_

"Are you sure that they're in there?" asked Sonic.

"I'm sure," said Silver.

"Let's do this," said Knuckles.

They all got dressed in black shirts and black ski hats. Shadow dropped a bag in the middle of their huddle. They opened it and took out a pistol for each of them. They carefully loaded the chambers and prepared for the event to come.

_Sonic's P.O.V_

We weren't satisfied off of what we were making at school. It was only a matter of time before we were hungry for more, anyway. Shadow kicked off the inevitable. The first rule of business: Control the market. It was time to elevate the game.

Inside the house that we knew that they were inside, Mephiles and his crew were playing a game of spades.

"How many books did you get?" asked the echidna that Knuckles fought.

"Y'all count them up. I got to take a piss," said Mephiles. He got up from the table and went to the bathroom.

"Mephiles likes to cheat. When he comes out of there, I'm going to put a bullet in his ass," said the echidna that Silver fought.

"That's why I don't like playing with Mephiles," said the hedgehog that Shadow fought.

As they were talking inside, we held our guns up to the door. Then, we pulled the trigger. We shot the door about three times each. They responded inside by grabbing their guns and pushing the table over as cover. After that, Shadow opened the door. Then, we all stepped inside the house and lined up like amateurs. When I think back, that was pretty stupid, but it worked. We started shooting up the place. The echidna that Knuckles fought took the first bullet in the waist. The hedgehog that Shadow fought took the next one in the thigh. Both of them went down. The echidna that Silver fought shot at us a few times but missed. Shadow shot him right in his hand, which made him drop the gun. Then, Mephiles emerged from the bathroom with his pistol blazing. We all quickly turned to shoot at him. One of Knuckles' bullets connected with his knee. That brought him to the ground as blood squirted from his knee. Mephiles dropped his gun and began holding his knee.

"Who the fuck do you supposed to be, Sonic? You better kill my ass right now, Sonic, if you got the balls," said Mephiles between grunts.

I slowly held up my gun. I had never killed a guy before; so I didn't know what to expect then. I pulled the trigger three times. Three more bullets were implanted in his chest. All his bleeding tissue was showing. Mephiles began to shake. His crew watched in terror as Mephiles slowly died.

I read this book one time about World War II. In the book, one of the soldiers said that every time he killed someone, he saw the face of the first person he murdered. It's like none of the other faces registered. You just kept killing the same guy over and over again. Mephiles was the first guy I ever killed. The soldier was right. I killed other dudes, but to this day, I can only see Mephiles' face, knowing that he was going to die.

"Come on. Let's go," said Shadow.

In a second, what little part of childhood that we had left was gone. I had made choices based on my friendships with Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver. Before, I could walk away. Now, there was no walking away. I was no longer a kid. Now, I was a gangster. We all were. That's the way we wanted it.

I killed Mephiles because he was becoming a pain, and I knew that I would feel better once I knew that he was gone. Now, everyone had no choice but to take us seriously, but I had to keep telling myself over and over that it was just business. I said it enough times that I actually started to believe it. There wasn't any reason to kill the rest of them. Without Mephiles, they were nothing, and no one goes to the cops in this neighborhood.

* * *

After taking out Mephiles and his crew and took over all their customers, we quickly became legends in and out of school, but there was a couple of faces that didn't show a look of admiration or respect. My Amy Rose was one of them. Rouge was the other.

After school one day, Amy and Rouge both ran out of school and down the street. Their eyes were filled with water as they ran. Knuckles and I tried to run after them, but they were long gone before we made it down the stairs.

A red Cadillac was parked in front of the school. There was a bird standing on the side of it. We all knew who it was. It was Wren. He was looking at us. Shadow and Silver joined us. He signaled for us to come to him. When we did, he opened the door and motioned for us to get in. He said no words. All he did was point. When we got in, Wren got into the driver's seat and drove off.

After a few minutes of driving, we arrived at a big building that had Whitman Enterprises written on it. That meant only one thing: Benny wanted to see us.

_Normal P.O.V_

Wren led the boys to the top floor of the building and into an office. Benny was sitting behind the desk with a cigar in his mouth. He was wearing a brown suit. There were two other henchmen in there as well.

"Sit down, boys," said Benny. He had four chairs set out in front of his desk. They all took a seat.

"Do you know why you're here?" asked Benny.

"No," replied Sonic.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Benny.

"We know," replied Silver.

Benny had a hat on his desk. He picked it up and revealed a vial.

"What's that?" asked Sonic.

"It's a new business. It's your new business," said Benny.

"We're doing pretty good with the one we got," said Silver.

Benny and all of his goons began to laugh.

"Boy, you ain't doing shit. You take your best day and multiply it by ten and it's your worst day ever selling this shit here," said Benny.

"For real?" said Knuckles.

"You like the sound of that, huh?" asked Benny.

"Well, if it's so good, why are you just giving it to us?" asked Sonic.

"You must be Sonic," said Benny.

"That's me," Sonic replied.

"I like you, Sonic. I've been watching you. You really handle business very well. Besides, you owe me," said Benny.

"How?" asked Shadow.

"You took out one of my crews without my permission, but this is not a demand. It's a request. Shit, I ain't going to beg you motherfuckers to make this money."

"What is it?" asked Sonic.

"It's a form of cocaine," said Benny.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you how to cook it up," Wren said to Shadow.

"What do you call it?" asked Shadow.

"You call it 'crack'," said Wren.

And that was the beginning.

_

* * *

__A drama-filled chapter. Send me plenty of reviews. I like those. There are still plenty more surprises in store for you. Stay tuned for my frequent updates if you want to know how things turn out. The next chapter is a step into adulthood._


	5. Things Change

_Before starting this chapter, I want to clear up a few things that were brought to my attention by two ladies. Most of this story is a flashback of Sonic. In fact, so far the only chapter that isn't a flashback is the first chapter. That one is in present tense. It's kind of like a prologue or something of that nature._

_Okay, in this chapter, I'm going forward in time, but this is still part of the huge flashback. Sonic and Shadow are 28, which is the same age they were in the first chapter. Knuckles, however, is 29. Silver's 27._

_

* * *

__14 years later…_

And this is the end.

Sonic walked down the street in his navy-blue 'business suit.' He had gotten a call from his younger brother about a break-in. Manic was now 24 He went to school and became a barber. Sonic helped him out by setting up a shop for him so that he wouldn't have to start at the bottom and work up. Sonic owned the shop, but Manic was the one running it.

Sonic walked up to the shop and discovered that the front window on the door was broken. He opened the door and walked in. Manic was standing there with two other gentlemen. One was a tall, green crocodile that wore headphones on head and had a gold chain around his neck. The other was a shorter, red-violet chameleon that wore spiked wristbands. Both of them wore black clothing. Their names were Vector and Espio. They were detectives assigned to Sonic's and his friends' case. After fourteen years, the local cops couldn't catch Sonic or the others; so they assigned Vector and Espio to them to make their presence known. They thought that if Sonic and the others were aware of their presence, they'd slow up or make a mistake. They were wrong. Sonic and the others were fully aware that Vector and Espio were detectives, and they didn't like them one bit.

Sonic walked right past Espio and went over to a table with supplies on it and picked up a manila envelope. Espio eyed him the whole way, but Sonic paid him no attention.

"How about it, Sonic? Do you have any idea why anyone would come in here and rob your brother?" asked Espio.

"No."

Vector took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

"Why is it that I don't believe you?" asked Vector.

"I don't know. Maybe you're just a naturally suspicious kind of guy. Let me ask you a question, though. Why would they send two vice detectives to investigate a robbery?" said Sonic.

"We got word that it was a drug-related theft," said Espio.

"What makes you think that it's drug related?" asked Sonic.

"I don't know. Maybe because the owner is a drug dealer?" said Vector with a smirk.

"Whatever," replied Sonic.

"So what happened, Sonic? Did one of your little crack buddies get mad at you?" asked Espio with the same devilish smirk that Vector had on his face.

Sonic smirked back at them.

"If you two weren't so damn pathetic, you'd almost be funny," he said. "Instead, you're nothing."

"I'm nothing, am I? Well, you have no idea how close I am to busting you. You and your little crew are done," said Vector.

"I guess that you won't be searching too hard for the guys that robbed us. Will you?" said Sonic.

"Sonic, if I was you, the shop would be the last thing I'd be worrying about. You'd better start growing yourself some eyes on the back of your head," said Espio.

Vector and Espio slowly walked out of the shop. Espio took out a piece of gum. No sooner had they exited the shop and closed the door, they heard yelling on the inside.

"What the fuck were they doing in here!" yelled Sonic.

"Hey, I didn't call them. They just showed up like funguses do," said Manic with a chuckle.

"It ain't funny, Manic. You know Vector and Espio have it in for me. I told you not to talk to them clowns," said Sonic.

Manic now had a more serious expression on his face.

"I didn't call them, and I didn't tell them anything, Sonic," said Manic. "Now, I ain't one of those punks out there on the streets; so don't talk to me like one.

Sonic sighed as he paced the floor.

"How much did they take?" he asked.

"Couple hundred dollars out of the register. They couldn't crack the safe," said Manic.

"Why didn't you put bars and locks on your windows like everyone else on this street?" asked Sonic.

"Sonic, I've been on this street many times in my life. When I was twelve, I worked in Mr. O'Grady's shop. He never had to put bars and locks on his window. Why should I?" asked Manic.

"Things change," said Sonic.

"They sure do. Twelve year olds are out there killing each other. There are goddamn psychopaths everywhere you look out there," said Manic.

"Look, I just came to make a bank run. How much do we got to deposit?" asked Sonic.

"About four grand."

Manic went over to get the money out of the safe. He had it in a red cloth bag.

"Be safe," said Manic.

"Cool. I'm about to go deposit this now. I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier," said Sonic.

"It's okay, bro, but you see what I'm talking about, right?" asked Manic.

"What?"

"About the neighborhood."

"Yeah. We were talking about how things changed."

"Not just that they've changed, but why they've changed, Sonic. Have you asked yourself that question?"

"Things change because times are hard," said Sonic.

"There's more to it than that. It's the rock. The rock has fucked this neighborhood up. Think about it. There are junkies everywhere. It never used to be like that. Now, crack has gotten people so wound up that they're willing to kill, maim, or rob anyone just so they can get enough money to get their next high. It was a crack head that broke up in here," said Manic.

"You don't know that," said Sonic.

"Sonic, you've got a reputation for murdering people. Now, what motherfucker in his right mind would risk robbing this place so that you can find out who they are? You, Shadow, Knuckles, and Silver might as well be the motherfucking mob. Now, who's going to be dumb enough to go up against that for a couple hundred dollars and some change?" said Manic. He was now very serious.

"Okay. Some dumbass had the balls to come up in here and rob us. That's just one case," said Sonic.

"You don't believe that, and I know it. You just don't want to take responsibility for your actions," said Manic.

Sonic's expression went from friendly to angry again.

"So you want to blame me for all the fucked up shit that's going on in Station Square?"

"Look, crack is the problem. You're the biggest crack dealer on the south end," said Manic.

"Fuck you, brother."

Sonic walked out of the shop, infuriated. Manic just sat in one of the barber chairs as tears filled up in his eyes. He whispered three final words.

"Be safe, bro."

* * *

_Sonic's P.O.V._

We set up crack houses on the south end. Emerald Avenue was where we made the bulk of our money. If you wanted cocaine, you didn't come to us. You just phoned it in and we came to you. Shadow did most of the cooking. He cooked up eight keys a day without fail. We had different people from around the neighborhood that we thought we could trust keep track of our merchandise. We also had someone on the phones. The caller ordered in code so that anyone listening in couldn't track it. That person would write out the order and hand it to one of the runners along with a package of what was ordered. Knuckles ran the house on Emerald Avenue. In fact, he ran all the houses because it didn't matter how bad you were. _Nobody_ fucked with Knuckles. Nobody. When Silver wasn't getting laid, he kept everyone in line. Whenever there was a problem, Silver made sure that I was the first one to know about it. Most of the time, the problem was taken care of before it even got to me.

* * *

_Normal P.O.V._

Sonic walked into his house. It was a very nice size. It had three bedrooms and two baths. The lights were off as Sonic hung up his coat on the coat rack. He walked into the living room to find a pink hedgehog sitting on his suede couch in a golden, silk robe. She was drinking a glass of red wine.

"Hey, baby," said Sonic.

"Hey," replied the voice in a shallow tone.

"Are you okay?" asked Sonic.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're sitting here in the dark."

Sonic flipped the switch to reveal his lovely wife and her cheerful smile. He came over and sat next to her on the couch.

"What's on your mind?" asked Sonic.

Amy reached behind her and pulled out a blue jewelry box.

"Remember that?" she asked.

Sonic chuckled. "Where'd you get that?"

"I found it at the bottom of my jewelry case. My eighth-grade sweetie gave this to me," she said.

"I think it's ugly. He had terrible taste in jewelry. Good taste in women but bad taste in jewelry," said Sonic.

Amy chuckled. Then, she set the box on the coffee table.

"What's really the matter?" asked Sonic.

"It's not quite working out like we planned. Is it?" asked Amy.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that after twelve years of broken promises, you're still in the game," said Amy.

"Broken promises? The roof over your head and the clothes on your back don't seem like broken promises to me. That's survival," said Sonic.

"I believed that whole 'survival' thing for a long time. Look around you. We do a whole lot better than just survive," said Amy.

Sonic readjusted himself on the couch. He put his face closer to hers with a serious expression on it.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

"I want you to quit," she said.

Sonic got up from his seat in a flash. He was feeling very angry that everywhere he went people kept talking to him about quitting.

"Quit? You and my brother Manic suffer from the same disease. Selective Memory," said Sonic with sting. "I didn't hear none of this when we went on vacation last year to Hawaii, and I didn't hear this shit two year ago when your mother got sick and couldn't pay her damn hospital bills. I didn't hear none of this shit then."

"What difference does it make when I ask you?" asked Amy, rising from the couch. "You know when enough is enough."

"What's strange is that I find it so interesting that it's okay for me to risk my life out there so that you can wear this Gucci and Versace bullshit, but now that your stomach is full and you ain't hungry no more, it's okay for me to quit. What's the matter? Gucci ain't in style no more?"

Amy just stared at Sonic in shock. He never raised his voice at her before. They've had arguments before, but nothing like this.

"I can't believe that you just said that to me," said Amy.

"I call it like I see it," replied Sonic.

"So that's what you think of me after all this time and after all that we've meant to each other?" she asked.

"Look, I don't need this shit right now!!" yelled Sonic. He took a deep breath and calmed his voice. "Look, I can't quit now. My friends need me."

"And I don't?"

"Amy, I've been there from the first day I laid eyes on you, loving you. I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you," said Sonic.

"It's those fucking friends. From day one, those fucking friends are all that I ever heard from you," said Amy. "If you thought that all I wanted to do was take from you, why'd you marry me?"

"I'm not about to have this conversation again. If you need me, I'll be at the club," said Sonic.

"Don't you think we should settle this before you just run off?" asked Amy.

"Look, I'm not the one with the problem. You are!"

"Is that what you're going to tell your child?" she asked.

Immediately, Sonic froze. He had to hear that word in his head again. Did she say child? Sonic hesitated to respond.

"What did you just say?"

Amy was in tears. The tears ran down her face like a waterfall. There was a mixture of sadness and anger on her face.

"I didn't ask you to quit all of the sudden. There was a reason. I'm pregnant, Sonic," said Amy.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No, I just pulled that out of my ass," said Amy sarcastically.

"Then, why the fuck didn't you tell me when I walked in?" he asked.

"I wanted to know if you'd quit if I asked you, not because of the baby and not even for yourself. Just because I asked you," said Amy.

"Why are you playing games? Is there one woman in the world that isn't about these damn games?" asked Sonic.

Suddenly, his cell phone began to ring.

"I expected more from you," he said.

Sonic answered the phone. He held the phone up to his ear for a few seconds as a precaution before speaking.

"Hello."

"What's up?" It was Knuckles.

"Look, I ain't got time to talk. I'm dealing with some shit."

"This ain't no social call. We've got some things to discuss.

"About what?"

"Not over the phone. Meet us at the club in twenty minutes," he said.

"Alright."

(click)

Sonic walked back over to Amy and just looked at her for a moment. She had stopped crying, but she still looked mad at him.

"I gotta go," he said in the calmest voice he could.

Amy didn't respond. Sonic got his trench coat off of the coat rack, put it on, and headed out the door. Amy returned to the couch and curled up on one of the corners.

* * *

_Club…_

Sonic walked in through the night club that he shared ownership with his friends. In a back room, he found Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver. They had changed a lot since their younger days. Shadow had grown facial hair. Knuckles' body had become ripped. Of course, it was hard to see through his long coat, but you could tell by the way the shirt under it fit him that he was extremely strong. Silver now wore earrings. Sonic was the only one that didn't change much. The only thing new about him was his older look and gained height.

"What's up, Sonic!" greeted Shadow when Sonic walked through the entrance.

"What's all this about?" asked Sonic.

"Benny wants to have a sit-down," said Knuckles.

"Did he say where?" asked Sonic.

Just then, Knuckles' cell phone began to ring. He answered.

"Hello."

Suddenly, everything went silent except for the thumping of the music from the club.

"Alright."

(click)

"His safehouse over by Station Square Lake," said Knuckles.

"Let's do this," replied Silver.

They all got up and headed out the door. They took the side door since that way was closer to Knuckles' truck. On the way down the stairs, a group of thugs attacked them. One grabbed Shadow and threw him against the alley wall. Silver jumped on one of them and started beating him down to the ground. Over in another corner, Knuckles held a guy with one hand and struck him with the other. Because of Knuckles' brute strength, there was nothing that the guy could do. The brawl was over in a matter of minutes. Except for a few cuts and scrapes, they were unharmed.

_Sonic's P.O.V._

We found out later that the guys who attacked us were high. I don't even think they knew who we were. Manic was right. The neighborhood was changing.

* * *

_Normal P.O.V._

We entered Benny's office promptly at 9:00 P.M. Since they first were introduced to Benny fourteen years ago, he had gotten himself some new goons. One was a very large grey albatross. The other was a very keen, slick green hawk. They knew them as Storm and Jet. Wren was also present at the meeting. He stood behind Benny's desk to show that he was Benny's right hand man.

"What the fuck happened to y'all?" asked Jet.

"Car accident," replied Sonic.

"That other car had a good right hand," said Jet with a smirk.

Sonic chuckled. "I never could put one over you, Jet."

Jet and Storm patted Sonic and the others down for their weapons. Then, they led them to the same seats they had sat in fourteen years ago. Jet went and stood on Benny's left. He was Benny's lieutenant.

When they sat down, a beautiful purple cat wearing a white dress came into the room.

"Did you forget something?" asked Benny as he exhaled smoke from the nostrils on his beak.

"I took the wrong keys," the cat said. "I want the keys to the Landcruiser, not the STS."

"How are y'all doing?" asked the cat, looking at Shadow. Shadow, on the other hand, never looked her way but was perfectly aware that she was looking at him.

"Shut the fuck up and get out of here," said Benny. "Keep your pager on."

Sonic chuckled as she left the room. "So how are you doing, Benny?"

"I could be better," said Benny.

"How's that?" asked Sonic.

"I want you to shut down the operation on Emerald Avenue," said Benny.

"Shut down? What the fuck do you mean?" asked Shadow, showing signs of agitation.

"I want you to cease selling drugs on Emerald Avenue," replied Benny.

"We make a lot of ends on Emerald Avenue," said Silver.

"A whole lot of ends," added Knuckles.

"The drug game is killing the pimp game. I came up in that game and I want to keep it alive. There are too many hos getting doped up out there," said Benny.

"Money is money. Why do you care where it comes from?" asked Sonic.

"I know that drugs sell for a lot more than pimping, but long before drugs came and long after it fades away, hos will always make money. Always; also it's good business to specialize. From this point on, I want Emerald Avenue to be known for pussy and only pussy," said Benny.

"Well, we're not in the pimp game. What's in it for us?" asked Sonic.

"We're going to make a move into Westopolis and open up some new markets. That's for y'all," said Benny.

"That's a good start, but we need more immediate gratification," said Sonic.

"What do you want?" asked Benny.

"25 percent decrease per key," said Sonic.

"You must be out of your fucking mind," said Jet from behind Benny.

"It's a deal, but it'll take some time to adjust my operations to your price," said Benny.

"How much time?" asked Silver.

"A couple of weeks," replied Benny.

"Fuck that shit," said Shadow.

"We don't have to ask your sorry ass for nothing," said Jet. "We could make you do whatever the fuck we want."

Knuckles leaned forward in his chair. "Somehow, Jet, I really don't think so."

Jet gave Knuckles a disapproving look.

"Wait. We'll do it for two weeks at the current price. That's two shipments. On the third shipment, you take a fifty percent cut on every shipment after that until we make up what we lost. Then after that, the price goes back up twenty-five percent," said Sonic.

Benny hesitated with the response. He finally came up with his answer. "Deal."

"Alright." Sonic got up from his chair. The others followed after him. Sonic put on his coat. "It was good to see you."

"Make sure these gentlemen get their weapons," said Jet.

Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver all left Benny's safehouse and exited the compound. Inside, Wren was talking to Benny.

"Boss, they got it together. Their shit is tight," said Wren.

"Sonic's the key. Those faggot-ass motherfuckers ain't nothing without him," said Benny.

"You can't get to Sonic with Knuckles watching his back," said Jet.

"Well, you get Locke up here, and I want you to call our 'friends'. Let them in on the conversation," said Benny.

"Not a problem," replied Wren.

* * *

_Well, that's the end of this chapter. Checkmate. Game over. I'll update soon. Please R & R._


	6. Quitting Ain't Even an Option

Emerald Avenue continues

_Emerald Avenue continues. I just want to thank everyone for their reviews, support, and just for reading it. _

_

* * *

_After leaving Benny's safehouse, they all got into Knuckles' Escalade truck and drove off. Knuckles and Sonic sat in the front with Silver and Shadow behind them. They rode in silence for about three minutes. Then, Shadow spoke up.

"Sonic, you know that deal was some bullshit, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I know," replied Sonic.

"Why the fuck did you agree to it?" asked Silver.

"It was no sense in pushing it. Benny never planned on delivering the shipments at the price we agreed on anyways. I was just buying us some time," said Sonic.

"Well, if he don't plan on doing business, what's he plan on doing?" asked Knuckles.

"He plans on killing us. He just needs an excuse," said Sonic.

"I knew I should have peeled his cap right there," said Shadow angrily.

"What I don't understand is why," said Silver.

"I think we're getting too big for him. We're getting too hard to control. It's just good business. For all he knows, we might be planning to move on him. He has to do it right, though, because he gets hurt in a war just as bad as we do," said Sonic.

"How do you know all this?" asked Shadow.

"A few reasons: 1. Benny agreed to the deal too fast. He wants to keep the price the same just long enough to find a way to eliminate us. 2. He don't give a fuck about no hos. That was some straight bullshit," said Sonic.

"I agree with you on that. That shit didn't even sound right," said Silver.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Knuckles.

"The way I see it, we have two choices. We can either go to war with Benny or quit," said Sonic.

"Quit what?" asked Shadow.

"Quit the game, Shadow. We can't do this shit forever. I can show you some of the investments that I've been trying to make over the past few years. How long do you think we can do this shit?" asked Sonic.

"We're hustlers until we die. Remember when we used to say that?" asked Shadow. "There isn't anything else out there for us."

"I hear you, Shadow. I'm really not down with quitting either," said Silver. "This is the only shit I know."

"I agree with you on that investment shit, Sonic, but I ain't got shit saved," said Knuckles.

"Out of all the shit we've done, you haven't saved anything?" asked Sonic.

"Hey, I have a family to think about. I'm out here risking my life everyday so that Rouge and my son don't have to struggle in case something happens to me. Most of my money is in a special savings account that can't be touched, and I'm not going to touch it," said Knuckles. You could tell by the flare in his nostrils that he was serious.

"Fuck that shit. Leaving the game ain't even a motherfucking option. Fuck Benny. We're going to come down hard on his whole motherfucking crew. Fuck all of them motherfuckers. We're going to kill him, we're going to buy from his supplier, and we're going to get our better deal that way," said Shadow.

Sonic was now looking out the window at the night life in Station Square.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this, Shadow," he said.

"Who the fuck have you been talking to? I bet it's Amy. Isn't it?" asked Shadow.

Sonic remained silent.

"Are you going to stop rolling with your homies over a bitch?" asked Shadow.

Silver just gave Shadow a look that said "Did he really go there?"

"I'm going to let that one go because I know that you're upset right now, but if you call my wife a bitch again, I'm going to kick your ass!!" said Sonic.

"Sonic, fuck you and your wife," said Shadow.

"Come on, then. What are you gonna do?" asked Sonic.

Sonic and Shadow started arguing with each other.

"Calm down, Shadow," said Knuckles.

"What's wrong with y'all?" asked Silver.

"After all the shit that we've been through, he want to throw it all away because he's whipped on some pussy. Ain't no pussy in the world that good, motherfucker," said Shadow.

"Come on, now, guys. This is not the time to be falling apart," said Silver.

"Look, everyone needs to calm the fuck down," said Knuckles.

Knuckles turned onto the next street. Sonic opened the door and jumped out.

"Sonic, what are you doing?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm walking, man," said Sonic, closing the door.

Knuckles put the truck in park, got out, and caught up with Sonic. He had to jog a little before he was able to catch up with Sonic because Sonic even walked fast.

"Hey! We need you, Sonic. You can't just walk out on us now," said Knuckles when he finally caught up with Sonic.

"I'm not walking out," said Sonic. "I'm just going to walk around for a bit. I'll catch you in the morning when we shut down the Emerald Avenue den."

"We're still doing that?" asked Knuckles.

"Yeah. I got to figure out what's what. We got to make Benny think that we don't know what's up," said Sonic.

"Alright. So, I'll get with you in the morning, right?" asked Knuckles.

Sonic and Knuckles pounded their fists together. That was their sign of friendship. After that, Knuckles headed back to his truck, and Sonic continued walking.

* * *

_Knuckles turned around to see a car coming right for him. The bright lights flashed in his face. He was left motionless._

Knuckles woke up in a cold sweat and breathing real hard. He put his hand on his gun. He still thought that he was hit, and the gun made him feel safe.

"Did you have that same dream again?" asked Rouge. She was lying next to him.

"Yeah." Knuckles sat up on the side of the bed that he and his fiancé shared. She wasn't living with him yet, but she and their son stayed over regularly. "I'm sorry that I woke you."

Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying could be heard on a baby monitor. Actually, they didn't need the baby monitor at all because the baby could screech like a bat thanks to his mother's genes.

"Make it up to me by answering that call, will you?" asked Rouge.

Knuckles stood up. He was wearing a sleeveless white shirt and some pajama bottoms. When he entered the baby's room, he turned on the light. The baby's screeching was getting worse. He knew that he had to act fast. He reached into the crib, and picked up his son.

"There, there, Tristan. Everything's alright," said Knuckles in a calming voice. He rocked Tristan slowly until the crying ceased. Tristan was an echidna/bat hybrid. His body frame and head was echidna, but he had bat characteristics too such as fangs and small wings. He had his father's arms and his mother's legs. This little guy was going to grow up to be tough. He even had two small bones protruding from his knuckles. He had his mother's coloring, and his father's eyes crescent on his chest, but his was red. He had small knots on his head that would grow out to be spines.

Tristan purred like a kitten once Knuckles held him in his arms. Within a few minutes, the little hybrid was asleep once more. Knuckles eased him back into his crib.

"Well, what do you know? He actually shut up," said Rouge. She was standing in the doorway looking in on Knuckles and Tristan. "It takes me hours to get him to sleep at home."

"Well, you don't have the magic touch that I do," said Knuckles with a smirk.

Rouge chuckled in her seductive manner.

"I talked to Amy today, and she told me that she had asked Sonic to quit, but he got angry at her," said Rouge.

"I agree with him. You two don't realize that we're doing this for you. Do you?" asked Knuckles.

"I know that you're doing this for me, but what about you? I don't want to lose you over no bullshit," she said. "Maybe that dream is a sign. Maybe you do need to quit."

"Baby, what about our wedding? It's not going to pay for itself. We've got that to think about, not to mention that we have a son now. I'm doing this for him as well so that he don't have to go down the same road that his father did. I want something better for him. My father left me before I got to know him. He didn't leave me anything. My mother and I had to struggle to get by. I don't want my son to have to go through that," said Knuckles.

"I know that nothing I say will change your mind; so I have no choice but to trust you," said Rouge. She went over and threw herself into Knuckles' arms.

"Thank you, baby," said Knuckles.

"Do me one favor, Knuckles," said Rouge.

"Anything," he said.

"Promise me that you'll never leave me," said Rouge. She was sniffling.

Knuckles caressed the back of her head. As he did, a teardrop fell onto her head. Tough as Knuckles was, he could easily break down when things concerned Tristan or Rouge.

"I promise," he said in a very calm, sincere voice.

* * *

The next day was a cloudy day. There was a light drizzle in the air of Station Square as Sonic pulled up in front of their Emerald Avenue establishment. Sitting on the steps was Knuckles.

"What's up?" greeted Sonic.

"What it do, Sonic?" said Knuckles.

"Where's everybody else?" asked Sonic.

"They didn't show," said Knuckles.

"Shit!"

"Everything's going to be cool. As long as you and I stick together, it's going to be alright," said Knuckles. "I had Tails come by and board up the place. That ought to convince Benny that really shut it down."

Sonic only nodded as he looked at the place. He had a lot on his mind at the moment. There was an awkward silence between the two as Sonic looked at the place. Then, he finally spoke.

"Are you ready for this because it's going to get ugly?" asked Sonic.

"We have no choice. Quitting ain't an option. Besides, Shadow's right. With Benny gone, we'll get a better price," said Knuckles.

"Yeah. Get everybody together tonight. We'll figure out the best way for us to do this thing, okay," said Sonic. "I'll see you tonight."

He and Knuckles did a signature handshake. As Sonic turned to leave, Knuckles called out to him.

"Hey, Sonic."

Sonic turned around. "Yeah?"

"Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew that it'd come to this, a beatdown between us and Benny. It's like we were meant to do that shit," said Knuckles.

"I see where you coming from," said Sonic.

"It's like that car that night," said Knuckles.

"After fourteen years, you still can't get over that thing?" asked Sonic.

"It's something about that car, Sonic," said Knuckles.

"What?"

"You're going to think I'm stupid."

"Just say what's on your mind."

Sonic came to join Knuckles on the steps.

"Part of me feels like I was supposed to get hit by that car that night. It's like every second after that has been borrowed time. That's why shit don't scare me. Maybe I ain't supposed to be here anyway," said Knuckles. "What do you think?"

Sonic smirked.

"What do I think? I think thinking is the problem. You're thinking too much. Let me do the thinking, alright," said Sonic with a chuckle.

"So what are you saying? I'm stupid?" asked Knuckles.

"No, I'm not saying you're stupid. I can't have no stupid motherfuckers watching my back," said Sonic. "But, you didn't get hit by that car that night. It missed you, and that's that."

"That's because you was looking out for me," said Knuckles.

"Whatever, Knuckles. The point is as far as living on borrowed time, we all might be one step away from the grave," said Sonic. "All we got to do is handle business, and everything's going to be alright. "Okay?"

Knuckles nodded in agreement. "Okay, Sonic."

He and Knuckles shook hands once more.

"Take care, Sonic."

* * *

_On tape…_

"_Well, if he don't plan on doing business, what's he plan on doing?" asked Knuckles._

"_He plans on killing us. He just needs an excuse," said Sonic._

"_I knew I should have peeled his cap right there," said Shadow angrily._

_End tape…_

Well, well, well. You still have nothing, or else you would have arrested me by now," said Silver.

Espio was standing in front of Silver, playing a tape recording of the conversation that they had last night in Knuckles' Escalade. After stopping the tape, Espio put it in his coat pocket.

"Maybe, but I know what's running through your head right now," said Espio.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" asked Silver.

"You're asking yourself 'how did he get that tape. Now that he's got it, what's he going to do with it?'

* * *

Knuckles chuckled. Then, he got serious.

"Let me tell you something. I don't give a shit where you got it. You can shove that shit right up your ass because I'm sure that shit is not admissible," said Knuckles.

Vector took out a cigarette and began smoking. He had played the same tape that Espio played for Silver. "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't, but doesn't it bother you that someone from your crew dropped the dime on you? Doesn't it bother you to know that we're working with one of you to bring the rest of you down? This tape might not be enough to convict you by itself, but it's just the first piece of evidence in a long line of evidence to come."

* * *

"That's bullshit," said Shadow.

"How else would I get it then?" asked Espio. After leaving Silver, he came to look for Shadow at his house. "How else would I know where you were unless one of you told me?"

"So who was it then?" asked Shadow.

"That's for you to find out. I got a hunch, though. I think that you already know who it is," said Espio.

He chuckled as he walked off. Shadow flipped him the bird and walked into his home.

* * *

Across town that night, two Cuban hedgehogs walked into a bar. The purple cat from Benny's office and another yellow male one, who was the bartender, turned around as they entered. The yellow cat gave the two Cuban hedgehogs a suspicious look.

"We're closed, fellas," said the yellow cat.

They paid no attention to what he said and kept walking. Then, they sat down at the bar on a stool.

"So what's it going to take to reopen it?" asked one of the Cuban hedgehogs.

"Not tonight. You got to go, buddy," said the yellow cat as he continued to wipe off the table.

"A few shots of bourbon, a little information, and we'll be on our way. What do you say?" asked the same Cuban hedgehog.

The yellow cat looked at the purple one. She gave the signal that it was okay. The yellow cat pulled out shot two glasses.

"The shot I can do, but if you want information, dial 411," said the yellow cat.

"Maybe I'm not making myself clear," said the Cuban hedgehog. He and his partner drank their shots. "I'm looking for four people that are running things out there: Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Knuckles. Have you ever heard of them?"

This got the purple cat's attention. She listened in closer.

"Never heard of them," said the purple cat.

The Cuban hedgehog's Cuban partner pulled out a pistol and sat it on the counter.

"Are you sure about that?" asked the Cuban.

The yellow cat had a shotgun in front of the register. He laid a paw on it.

"Trust me, amigo. You wouldn't make it," said the Cuban hedgehog.

"Why don't you leave your number?" said the purple cat.

The two Cubans turned around.

"Are you looking for some action, baby, because I got a truck right outside," said the Cuban hedgehog.

"Watch your fucking mouth, jack," said the yellow cat.

"Fuck you, slim. Don't be calling me jack," said the Cuban.

"He didn't mean anything by it," said the purple cat.

"Yeah? Well, that happens to be my name, and he doesn't know me well enough to be calling me by name," said Jack.

"Well, my name is Blaze, Jack. Now listen. You guys are close to crossing that line. It's obvious that you guys aren't from around here. Why don't you put that gun away, forget the whole thing, write down your number, and I'll pass it on to someone who might be able to help," said the purple cat. "If not, you're going to have a problem."

"Yeah? You're scaring me, baby," said Jack sarcastically.

"Well, it ain't me that you need to be worried about," said Blaze.

Jack chuckled. "Alright, baby. Pedro, put it away."

The other hedgehog took the pistol off the counter and tucked it back in his jacket.

"Vinnie, give these guys another round on the house and something to write with," instructed Blaze to the yellow cat.

Vinnie fixed two more shots. Then, he slapped down a piece of paper and a pen. He still had that suspicious look on his face. Jack wrote down a number and address. Then, he slid the piece of paper over to Blaze.

"I'm going to be at this number until the end of the week. After that, I'm gone," said Jack.

"Where to?" asked Blaze.

"To Soleanna," said Jack.

Blaze smiled. "I'll see that they get it."

"You do that. It'll be worth a whole lot of money if they do. I mean a whole lot of money. For you, too," said Jack. "Maybe you can buy this place or a place like this. What do you think about that?"

Jack and his friend took their shots and set the glasses down hard. "Thanks for the drink, jack," Jack told Vinnie.

Within a few seconds, they were gone.

* * *

_There's the whole Jack connection. Yes, we're still in the flashback. _

_I'll update soon. Hope you like this chapter._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	7. Trust

_Chapter 7. Thank you everybody for your support_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anyone affiliated with SEGA. If I did, Sonic X would have been more like this story without Chris, of course._

_

* * *

_Down in the lower level of the club that they all owned, Shadow sat in his chair and watched as a stripper gave him a lap dance. She moved so sexily and smooth as she threw her already naked on Shadow. Shadow took a sip of his 40. oz and continued to gaze at her magnificent form. She spreaded his legs, turned around, and grinded on him like only the pros know how. Then, she turned around and put her breasts in his face. She gave Shadow a quick wink as she continued dancing. She started playing with her breasts and licking her fingers. For the finale, she stood on her hands and wrapped her legs around his head. When she was finished, she gave Shadow a smile, which he gladly returned.

"Do you want another dance?" asked the stripper, who was a purple mongoose.

"No. That's alright, but that was good, though," said Shadow.

The stripper gave Shadow a kiss on the lips. Shadow smacked her ass as she walked off. While Shadow was getting his dance, Blaze was walking down the steps. When the stripper walked off, Blaze came over to where Shadow sat. Shadow looked up at her.

"Someone was looking for you," said Blaze. She handed Shadow the piece of paper that Jack had written his name, address, and phone number on.

Shadow looked at the piece of paper. "I don't know any Jack."

"He knows you," replied Blaze.

"Well, lots of motherfuckers know me. That don't mean shit," said Shadow.

"He said that it could mean a lot of money for you," said Blaze.

Shadow scoffed. "So is that why you came down here? To bring me a proposition?"

"He said there would be something in it for me," said Blaze, "and I got an eye for business."

"Well, what does he look like?" asked Shadow.

"Thirty-something, Cuban, but the number's only good for twenty-four hours," said Blaze.

"What's the rush?" asked Shadow.

"He goes back to the Solaris country," said Blaze.

Blaze turned to walk away. When she got about six steps away, Shadow called out to her.

"You just can't admit it, can you?" asked Shadow.

"Admit what?" she asked.

"The real reason you came here," said Shadow.

"The reason is in your hand," snapped Blaze.

Shadow got up from his chair and walked up behind her. He let his breath echo in her ear. "I can see what kind of position you're in. It's a delicate situation, you being who you are and me being who I am," he said. "Hey, I'm willing to look past that to see you for who you really are and what you really want."

"Oh, of course. You're going to give me what I really want, right?" said Blaze sarcastically.

"I aim to please," said Shadow.

"So are you going to do me right here?" she asked.

"No I got somewhere to be right now." Shadow reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a single key on a chain. "147 Casinopolis Avenue. I shouldn't be more than an hour. Make yourself at home."

"You don't waste any time. Do you?" asked Blaze.

"Look, my time is very valuable," Shadow replied.

"What if I show this key to Benny, and he's the one waiting for you when you get home?" she said.

"Like I said, if you weren't interested, you wouldn't be here," said Shadow.

Blaze reached for the key, but Shadow closed his fist. "There are some eggs in the refrigerator. I get a little hungry late at nights." Then, he opened his hand to give her the keys. He earned himself a little smile from Blaze as she took the keys from him and walked off.

* * *

_The back room…_

Shadow arrived upstairs in the meeting room of the club a minute later. Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver were already there. Shadow took a seat next to Silver and Knuckles at the bar. Sonic stood behind the bar with a toothpick in his mouth. Shadow took off his coat and sat in on the counter. Silver lit himself a cigarette.

"So what's up? Are you in or out?" Shadow asked Sonic.

"What do it look like? I'm here, ain't I?" Sonic replied.

"Yeah, but you ain't saying much. It's like you're nervous or something," said Shadow.

"What the fuck do I have to be nervous about?" asked Sonic.

"You tell me," said Shadow.

"Hey, I ain't ever nervous, Shadow," said Sonic.

Knuckles butted in to stop the arguing.

"Hey, I thought we were here to talk about how we're going to handle this Benny shit," he said.

"I don't think it's such a good idea to talk about this war shit right now," said Silver.

"Why not?" asked Sonic.

"My people are scared of Benny. I don't think they'll go up against him," said Silver.

Sonic sighed. "What about you, Knuckles?"

"My people are ready," said Knuckles.

"If Knuckles and his people roll, my people will roll," said Shadow.

Silver handed Sonic a cigarette.

"My people are ready to go, too," said Sonic.

"Sonic, I'm not sure that this is the right time," said Knuckles.

Silver took a hit from his cigarette and replied in a faded voice. "It might be the only time."

"How do you know? Maybe Sonic's wrong. Maybe Benny ain't got shit planned for us," said Knuckles.

Sonic looked shocked. "Is that right? That's not what you said the other day."

"That was then. This is now," said Knuckles.

"What happened to change your mind?" asked Shadow with an attitude in his voice.

"Nothing changed my mind," said Knuckles.

"Something happened," said Silver.

"Look, I just had time to think," replied Knuckles.

"What were you thinking about? Are you scared of Benny, too?" asked Sonic.

Knuckles looked at him. Then, he threw a glass that had some vodka in it at the wall right next to Sonic with such force that it broke before it even hit the wall. Knuckles was furious at what Sonic had said. He couldn't even believe Sonic had said that.

"I can't believe you said some shit like that. As long as we've been friends, when have I ever been punked by anybody? Ever!!" yelled Knuckles.

Sonic thought about it as he took a hit of the cigarette. Then, he shook his head. "Never."

"Alright then," said Knuckles. "What about y'all? It don't seem like none of you motherfuckers at this counter is sure about anything right now. What about you, Shadow? Are you still down?"

"No, I ain't down," said Shadow.

"I can't believe this motherfucker," said Sonic.

"That's right. You better believe it, motherfucker, because I don't trust your ass no more," said Shadow.

"You don't trust me?"

"You're the one talking about walking out and shit. What's your real angle, Sonic?" asked Shadow.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" asked Sonic.

"You know goddamn well what I'm talking about, motherfucker. You're trying to set us up," said Shadow.

"Motherfucker, I ought to whip your ass," said Sonic.

"Man, fuck you," said Shadow.

Sonic and Shadow were arguing again.

"Hey, come on. Would you motherfuckers calm down?" asked Silver.

"Man, I'm tired of this motherfucker always coming at me with this bullshit," said Sonic.

"The truth hurts. Don't it?" asked Shadow.

Sonic looked out at his friends and saw that all of them had an unsure look on their faces.

"All of you feel that way?" asked Sonic.

"I don't know what to think, but your ass sure is acting funny and shit," said Silver.

"I'm acting funny?" Sonic started laughing. That just sounded funny to him. When he stopped, he turned to Knuckles. "What about you? Do you think I'm acting funny, too?"

Knuckles just stared at him for a few seconds. Then, he lowered his head.

"You too?"

Knuckles still hesitated to answer.

"Fuck it then. Why don't you just go ahead and do me in right here? I don't give a fuck. I'm standing right here. Come on, Shadow. You're a big man. You're so motherfucking tough. Come on and kill me. I'm standing right here," said Sonic.

Shadow reached for his gun with a smug look on his face. Silver quickly grabbed his arm.

"Look, motherfuckers, ain't nobody going to be killing nobody up in here. Shadow, you better chill," said Silver.

Sonic just looked and couldn't believe that Shadow just tried to kill him.

"Man, fuck y'all," said Sonic. He walked through the door that led to the bartender's station and walked out.

Knuckles followed him outside.

Outside, Sonic was getting into his car. He put the key into the ignition when he heard a bang on his window. Knuckles was standing right there.

"What?" asked Sonic in a harsh tone.

"Let the goddamn window down!!" demanded Knuckles.

Sonic complied.

"Look, I just don't want it to go down like this," said Knuckles.

Just then, some female wearing a sweatshirt and blue jeans walked up to Knuckles. Knuckles, however, was focused on Sonic; so he didn't even notice the girl.

"We've been through too much together to fall apart now," said Knuckles.

"I saw it on your face," said Sonic. "I saw it."

"I'll suck your dick for some blow," said the female.

"Get the fuck off of me," said Knuckles, pushing the girl back.

"Get off the car. I got to go, Knuckles," said Sonic.

The female stuck her head in front of Knuckles.

"How about you? I'll su…" said the female. She stared at Sonic. Sonic stared back. It was a female, hot pink hedgehog. She got off of the car and hurried down the street. Before she left, Knuckles got a good look at her.

"Sonic, didn't that look like…?" asked Knuckles, stopping his sentence.

"Oh god!" said Sonic.

Sonic took the keys out and got out of the car. He rushed down the street to catch her, hoping that it wasn't who he thought it was. He finally caught up with her and grabbed her. He turned her around, and, sure enough, it was who he suspected. She was crying and breathing horribly. Her spines were all fuzzy and wilted.

"Sonic, how are you doing?" she asked. "Do you have some rocks on you? I just need a little bit, okay." She was talking through tears and broken speech. "I'll suck you off."

Sonic just looked in disbelief at his sister. She looked horrible. Both her eyes were blackened, and her lips were cracking.

"Oh, shit. Sonia, we got to get you to the hospital," said Knuckles, who just caught up to them.

Sonia shook her head. "No. I just need a little bit of blow." After saying that, she fell down. Luckily, Sonic caught her. She started coughing up blood and gagging.

"Give me the keys, Sonic," said Knuckles.

Sonic started to cry as he held his sister.

"Give me the goddamn keys!!" demanded Knuckles. "Come on!"

Sonic handed Knuckles the keys. Knuckles hurried off to get the car.

"No. No. No. No. No. Knuckles!!" cried Sonic as Sonia continued to gag and cough.

* * *

Sonic and Knuckles both sat in the waiting room in the E.R. at the hospital. Sonic had his head between his legs, thinking. He was interrupted by Knuckles tapping his shoulder. Sonic looked up to see his father, mother, and Manic approaching them. Sonic stood to face them.

"How is she?" asked Manic.

"We don't know yet," said Sonic.

Sonic's mother was in tears.

"How'd you find her?" asked Sonic's father.

"Let's just say that she found me," said Sonic. "Why didn't you tell me about Sonia? I didn't even know that she was missing."

"What were you going to do anyway, Sonic? Give her a family discount?" said his father coldly.

"I don't deserve that," said Sonic in a low tone.

"Yes. You do!" yelled his father.

Suddenly, a tall, slim echidna walked over to them. He was the doctor.

"How is she?" asked Sonic.

"As a direct result of high amounts of ether in her system, she's developed a hole in her esophagus. The hole started to bleed. We managed to stop the bleeding, but I think that she needs to remain in the hospital a few days for some tests and observations," said the doctor.

Every word of this seemed to be killing Sonic's mother.

"But she's okay?" said Manic.

"For now, she's stable," said the doctor with a nod.

"Can we see her?" asked Sonic's mother.

"Well, we just gave her a sedative. She's asleep now, but you can go in," said the doctor.

"Thank you," said Sonic's mother. She and Manic were escorted by the doctor to Sonia's room. Sonic's father remained with Sonic and Knuckles in the waiting room. Sonic started to walk off, but he was grabbed by his father.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time. We provided you a good home. You could have been anything you wanted to be. All I want to know is why. Why do you sell drugs, Sonic?" asked Sonic's father.

_Sonic's P.O.V._

How do I tell my father that like a twig in a tornado, I just got caught up in this shit? How do I tell him that my loyalty to my friends was like a curse and a blessing at the same time? Here he is standing in front of me, waiting for an answer, but I don't have one. All I can say is…

_Normal P.O.V._

"Because I'm good at it," said Sonic in a low tone. "Tell Sonia that I'll be by to see her later."

With that, Sonic walked off with Knuckles right behind him.

"So what's up now?" asked Knuckles.

"I'm out. The price is too high," said Sonic.

Knuckles stopped right there, but Sonic kept walking. Knuckles just stood there as his friend just walked off from everything that they've been through and done like it was nothing. One question kept popping up in Knuckles' head. Why?

* * *

_OMG! That was amazing if I do say so myself. So what's next you might ask? You'll just have to wait for my next update to find out. It won't be long. I promise._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	8. Climax

_I told you I'd update fast. I wanted to go ahead and get this chapter uploaded because it's the best one yet. Warning: My first lemon is in this chapter. I hope the lemon isn't stale. Enjoy! When Icy Knuckles gives you lemons, have some lemonade._

_

* * *

_Shadow made it home at about 1:00 A.M. He walked up to the door and discovered that it was slightly opened. Shadow grabbed his gun. Then, he eased inside, letting his gun be the first thing to go through the door. Inside, a lamp was on as well as two candles burning on the table. On the table was a plate of eggs and a glass of red wine. Sitting in a chair in front of the table was Blaze. She was naked.

"I hope you like them scrambled," said Blaze.

Shadow placed the gun on the table with the lamp. Blaze got up and walked over to Shadow as he locked the door behind him. From the moment she reached him, it was on. Shadow wasted no time sopping her up. He threw his tongue down her throat. Then, they moved over to the table, knocking the wine and the plate of eggs off the table onto the floor. Shadow was still in her mouth. He put her naked frame onto the table and continued. She was taking off his coat and shirt. Shadow raised her right leg into the air. She reached down towards his pants and grabbed his member as she undid the belt buckle. Shadow took his tongue out of her mouth and started sucking on her neck. He picked her up with her body wrapped around his and carried her to his bedroom. When they made it in there, Shadow could already see her clothes on the floor. She already knew.

Shadow lay on top of her on the bed. By the time he made it into the bedroom, he only had his boxers on. After about five minutes of barbaric foreplay, the main events started. Shadow laid on his back as Blaze went to his feet. She climbed her way up onto him and slowly pulled off his boxers. Then, she went down and placed Shadow's member in her mouth. She licked it like a lollipop as she began to suck his dick. Shadow placed his hand on the back of her head and thrusted her down and up. Shadow caressed her nipples as she continued her fellatio. Both Shadow and Blaze moaned in pleasure as they got hornier and hornier. Blaze brought her flower around and placed it in Shadow's face so that they were in a 69 position. Shadow licked her clit, which caused her to hesitate between her sucks. It felt so good to her.

After ten minutes down south, Blaze got on her knees, turned towards the door, and bent over. Now, it was Shadow's turn. Shadow got on his knees behind her. He rubbed his member around her flower for a few seconds, and then he went between the walls. Blaze was already dripping wet from Shadow licking her clit. When he entered her, there was a splashing sound. Shadow looked up and gave out a big moan as he started pumping. It felt like he was in the ocean. Blaze clutched the sheets tighter and tighter as Shadow went deeper and deeper.

"Please do it faster, baby. Do it faster," said Blaze.

Shadow increased his speed. He was going in and out at sonic speed (pun intended). She started to pant and moan as Shadow kept stroking. After twenty minutes of this, Shadow was growing tired. He decided to let her get on top for a while. When he pulled out, Blaze started leaking everywhere. There was a puddle in the middle of the bed. When Shadow lay on his back, Blaze quickly hopped on. She slid his member into her chamber and started going up and down. The sweat from their bodies added to the already wet bed sheets. Blaze moaned louder and louder as she increased her speed. Shadow slapped her ass as she bounced on his dick. After about five minutes, he had gained his breath back, but it was too late then. At the same time, he and Blaze had sexual eruptions.

Blaze got off of him and lay on the bed, their secretions all gathered in a pile in the center of the bed. After about two minutes of rest, Shadow took the wet bed sheets off the bed and laid them on the floor. It looked like they had pissed on themselves. Luckily, all the bed sheets were affected. They were still able to get under the covers afterwards. Blaze took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Were you surprised to see me here?" asked Blaze.

"I would have been surprised if you weren't here," said Shadow.

"God, you're so arrogant," said Blaze.

"Yeah? Well, you're here. Aren't you?" he said.

Blaze passed the cigarette to Shadow. Shadow took a puff.

"What about this Jack guy?" asked Blaze.

"What about him?" asked Shadow.

"Are you going to call him?"

"Maybe."

"What's it going to hurt to talk to him?"

"Why are you campaigning so hard for this dude?" asked Shadow.

"I told you. I get a cut," replied Blaze.

"Well, we already got a supplier. Maybe, you know him. He's a big-headed ugly motherfucker named Benny," said Shadow.

"whose overcharging you and you know it," said Blaze. "You guys are paying eighteen grand a key when you should be paying fifteen. I think it makes good business sense to keep all your options open."

Shadow pushed her up off her.

"How do you know all this?" asked Shadow.

"I listen. I hear things," said Blaze.

"You got a sweet thing with Benny. He got you set up with that bar and restaurant. Why are you trying so hard to get out of it?" asked Shadow.

"I don't see a dime from that place. I made that place and I don't see a dime. I don't have anything but what little bit he gives me, and he thinks that'll keep me coming around, but I ain't looking to spend the rest of my life making him rich," said Blaze. "It ain't good to stay in one place too long. Sooner or later, something or someone catches up with you.

"How do you know that this Jack motherfucker is even legit? What if he's a cop?" asked Shadow.

"I've been around enough players in the game to know a cop when I see one. Trust me, he ain't no cop," said Blaze. "If you're so worried, why don't you have him checked out?"

"And if he does check out, are you willing to go up against Benny?" asked Shadow.

"After what we just did, you got the nerve to ask me that?" asked Blaze.

"You got a point there," said Shadow.

Blaze came closer and gave Shadow a kiss that turned into a make-out session before both of them went to sleep.

* * *

Amy was just getting home from a long day. She just wanted to go inside and sit down. When she reached the steps of her house, someone called out to her.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Hedgehog," said a voice that Amy recognized. It belonged to detective Vector.

Amy turned around and saw Vector and Espio approach her on the steps.

"Can we ask you a few questions?"

"I'm afraid I can't talk right now. I'm very busy," said Amy.

"That's not what you said before, Amy," said Espio.

"I never should have helped you," said Amy.

"Hey, maybe helping us was the smartest thing you ever did," said Vector.

"What do you want?" asked Amy.

"We just want to help you help Sonic. He's in a lot of trouble. Now, the only chance that he has to get out of it alive is us," said Espio. "I know you don't want to see him dead. We just need a little more information."

Just then, Sonic came driving by. He saw Amy standing out there talking to Espio and Vector. Amy saw him, too. Suddenly, her heart dropped and she became nervous. Sonic didn't say a word, show an expression, or stop. He just kept on going.

"Uh, look, you've gotten all the information that you're going to get from me. You don't want to help Sonic. You only want to help yourselves," said Amy. "Excuse me."

Amy walked up the steps and put her key in the hole.

"Don't be stupid, Amy. Dead is a long time," said Vector.

"Fuck off," said Amy.

She walked into her home and closed the door behind her. She walked into the living room and put her purse down. Then, she started pacing the floor. When she looked up, she gasped. Sonic was standing in the entrance to the living room looking at her.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hi there," he replied, not moving any part of his body but his mouth. "Where were you?"

"I went to the vineyard. Didn't you get my note?" asked Amy.

"What note?" asked Sonic.

Amy's eyes pointed at the fruit bowl. Sonic followed her gaze and found a piece of paper in the bowl amongst the fruits. He walked over and picked up the note.

"This note," said Sonic. He read:

_Dear Sonic,_

_I went to have the chain you gave me fixed because it was broken. I know this little place in Central City that will do a good job. Thinking about us, the chain reminds me of how much I love you. You do what you have to do for us and for yourself just as you've always done. I'll be here for better or for worse. No questions asked._

_Amy_

Sonic saw the necklace around her neck. He gently touched it with his hand.

"It looks nice," he said.

"I love you, Sonic," said Amy.

Amy tried to go in for a kiss, but Sonic backed his head away; so she embraced him and caressed the back of his head through his spines. Sonic still stood firm.

"You'd never keep anything away from me, right?" asked Sonic. "Anything important, I mean."

"No. Why do you ask me that?" asked Amy.

"Because trust is everything. Without it, you have nothing. Do you agree?" asked Sonic in a calm tone.

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

"Then what the fuck were those cops doing here?" asked Sonic in a loud voice that made Amy jump back.

"They were here for you, Sonic."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. They didn't say."

"Not anything at all?" asked Sonic.

"No."

Sonic just stared at Amy as if she was telling a bold-faced lie. Amy walked off, but Sonic didn't move. He didn't even turn to watch her leave the room.

"Look, Sonic, I'm just going to go lie down, okay? I don't feel well. It's probably the baby or something," said Amy.

"Yeah. You should do that," said Sonic. He still didn't turn around or move. He just stood there in silence after Amy left the room.

* * *

_A car came speeding down the street. Knuckles turned around to see the car heading directly towards him. It showed no signs of slowing up. The headlights were bright; so the driver obviously saw Knuckles, but he continued going. Knuckles could not hear Sonic or move. He was in shock. His eyes were focused only on the bright headlights heading directly for him._

Knuckles awoke in a cold sweat and breathing hard. This time, Rouge was not there to comfort him. She and Tristan were staying in their apartment for tonight. He continued sleeping with his gun. This reoccurring dream had never left his system. That dream was one thing couldn't fight with his fists.

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. It was late into the night; so he knew that it wasn't anybody that regularly came to see him like his friends or Rouge. Knuckles took his pistol with him when he went to the door. He held the gun up to the door as the knocks continued.

"Who is it?" asked Knuckles.

"It's me, young pimp. I need to talk to you," said the voice on the other side.

"Locke?" asked Knuckles.

"Yeah."

Knuckles unlocked the door. Standing on the other side of the door in a black suit was Locke the Echidna. He was smoking a cigarette and coughing up a lung.

"Do you know what fucking time it is?" asked Knuckles.

"It's about 4 A.M.," said Locke.

"What are you doing here, man?" asked Knuckles.

"Like I said, I came here to talk to you. Is your wife-to-be here?" asked Locke.

"You don't know me, motherfucker. Don't ever just 'show up' at my home," said Knuckles.

He was about to slam the door on Locke, but Locke caught it with his hand.

"Let me know when you're through acting like a little bitch," said Locke.

Knuckles pointed his gun at Locke. "What did you say?"

"Look, I know you don't think that I came up here for my motherfucking health. I got business with you, boy. The sooner you stop fucking around, the sooner we can get to it, and I can be on my fucking way," said Locke.

Knuckles uncocked his pistol. "You got three seconds to say what the fuck you're going to say."

"Not in the hallway. Five minutes inside and I'm gone," said Locke.

Knuckles started him down for a minute but eventually nodded.

"Come on in," he said.

Locke followed Knuckles into the apartment and shut the door behind him. Knuckles led him into the living room.

"Can I get a drink?" asked Locke.

"Say what the fuck you're gonna say and get the fuck out of my place," said Knuckles.

"Can I at least sit down?" asked Locke.

"Sit down, motherfucker. Damn!" said Knuckles. He was getting irritated by this whole thing.

Locke walked over to a chair. Knuckles sat across from him on the couch. He set his gun on the table with it facing Locke.

"Look, this ain't no easy thing to say; so I'm just going to say it. You're mother used to be a ho," said Locke. "She worked for me until just after you were born."

Knuckles just looked at Locke.

"Is that what you came to tell me?" asked Knuckles.

"You don't seem surprised," said Locke.

"I ain't no kid, motherfucker. I've been around a long time and seen a lot of shit. You're going to have to do better than that to surprise me," said Knuckles.

"Did she ever tell you about your father?" asked Locke.

"She said that he was a salesman or some shit out on the coast," said Knuckles.

"She lied, Knuckles. I'm your father," said Locke.

Knuckles looked at him, this time longer than the last. That really struck a nerve.

"There you go with that bullshit again. You need to shut the fuck up," said Knuckles.

"Why would I say some shit like that if it weren't true?" asked Locke.

"Well, if she was a ho like you say, how the fuck do you know who my father is?" asked Knuckles.

Locke reached into his coat and grabbed a piece of paper. He set it on the table next to Knuckles' gun. Knuckles picked it up and looked at it. It said that there is more than a 99.9 percent chance that Locke the Echidna is the paternal parent of Knuckles the Echidna based on data gathered from a DNA extrapolation.

"When she got pregnant, your mother decided to quit hoeing. She was in love with me, and she thought that we were a family. She was one of my best girls. I just wanted to prove to her that you weren't mine and convince her to give you up for adoption so that we could keep rolling. She swore up and down that you were mine. She was right. It's true. Man, I ain't lying," said Locke.

"So why are you telling me this shit now?" asked Knuckles.

"I made a promise to myself that before one of us... died, we'd both know the truth," said Locke.

Locke started coughing uncontrollably. He coughed for about fifteen straight seconds before Knuckles said anything.

"Are you sick, Locke?" asked Knuckles.

"Can you just get me a glass of water?" asked Locke.

Knuckles got up and went into the kitchen to fix Locke a glass of water. He came back in a matter of seconds. Locke had his face between his legs, still coughing. Knuckles handed the glass of water to Locke. Locke looked up and uncovered a gun. He pointed it directly at Knuckles. Knuckles dropped the glass of water. It shattered on the floor. His eyes became huge.

"Why didn't you kill Benny when you had the chance?" asked Locke.

"What?" asked Knuckles.

"You and your friends got too large. You made him nervous. Then, you gave him an excuse," said Locke.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" asked Knuckles.

"Emerald Avenue," said Locke.

"We closed that place down. We're not doing business out of that place anymore," said Knuckles.

"Well, one of you still is," said Locke. "Look, Knuckles, Benny's got me. I got to do this."

Knuckles looked over at his gun, which was still on the table. Then, he looked back at Locke.

"I got friends that'll hunt you down till you drop," said Knuckles.

"They're going to be dead soon after you," said Locke. He cocked his pistol.

Knuckles took a step forward. Locke pulled the trigger and shot. He shot six bullets. Only five of them hit Knuckles. All of them hit him in the torso. Knuckles' eyes grew wide as he fell to the floor, gasping for air. He was dying. As he lay there, blood ran through his shirt onto the carpet.

Locke sighed. He walked over to where Knuckles was still struggling to stay alive and shot Knuckles one final time in the torso, which stopped all the moving.

Locke walked to the door, sniffling. He had just killed his own son.

"Forgive me, son," he said through sniffles. Then, he left his son dead in his apartment.

Back on the floor, Knuckles was still gagging. There was blood on his fingers. Knuckles muscled up the last of his strength and wrote the letter L on the wall. Then, he wrote an O next to the L. Finally, all Knuckles' strength had left him. Knuckles the Echidna was dead.

* * *

_Nooooooooooooooooo! This isn't what I wanted to happen, but it is part of the plot. That answers the question as to why Knuckles wasn't in the first chapter. He was killed prior to that event. How could my favorite character die? Thank goodness it's just a story. R& R. That's all I can say. There are 3 to 4 chapters left. Thank goodness._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	9. Revenge

_OMFG! Locke's going to pay for that shit. No one kills my favorite character and gets away with it. At least my second favorite character is still alive. Silver, be safe._

_

* * *

__Knuckles' funeral…_

Today is a day of mourning. There isn't a cloud in the sky. Knuckles is dead. The only thing that's been going through Sonic's head since he found out is vengeance. He looked over at Rouge and Tristan. They both were crying uncontrollably as Knuckles was carried out of the church. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver were all pallbearers at Knuckles' funeral. They carried him down the steps and loaded his coffin into the hearse. Amy stood in her black suit on the right side of the hearse as Knuckles was loaded into it. She held onto Rouge's hand. As the attendants all exited the church, not a word was uttered. Only a few sniffles and light cries could be heard. Everyone was dressed in black. Most of Knuckles' crew had showed up for his service. Knuckles' mother had exited the church with the minister over her shoulder. She had a handkerchief in her hand that she had been wiping the tears away with. Sonic went over to his mother.

"Miss Echidna, I don't know what to say. I'm real sorry," said Sonic.

"I thought that everything was going to be okay when Locke came back into his life," said Knuckles' mother.

"Locke? What was he doing in Knuckles' life?" asked Sonic.

"Locke's his father," said Knuckles' mother. "You'd think he'd care enough to show up for his own son's…" Her words trailed off. She was trying to fight back the tears with little avail. "Why weren't you there for my boy, Sonic? He would have been there for you." She stormed off with the tears now flowing freely. She and Rouge stood next to the hearse with roses in their hands.

Sonic went to sit on the church steps. He put his head down. The grief was getting to him. Soon, Shadow and Silver came to join him on the steps.

"Are you alright, Sonic?" asked Silver.

"No," replied Sonic. A tear fell from his face onto the ground in front of him. "What's the word?"

"Knuckles' soldiers are fighting for power. They're not going to be any good to us when we go up against Benny," said Shadow. "Without Knuckles, my people won't budge. Hell, I can't even get the motherfuckers to return my calls, let alone combat."

"Everybody knows that Benny killed Knuckles. Maybe he didn't pull the trigger, but now he feels that we don't stand a chance now; so he didn't want to be around when Knuckles' funeral was going on," said Silver.

"Is there any talk about who did pull the trigger?" asked Sonic.

"No, but Tails did say that when they found him, there was L-O written on the wall in blood, but that could mean anything. We got to figure out what the fuck we're going to do," said Shadow.

"That ain't got nothing to do with me," said Sonic.

"Come on, Sonic. Are you just going to leave us hanging?" asked Silver.

Sonic thought for a minute.

"Did you say L-O?" asked Sonic.

"Yeah, but that could mean anything," said Shadow.

Sonic got to thinking again. He looked over at Knuckles' mother and Rouge.

"Knuckles!!" called out Rouge. Tristan started crying along with his mother and grandmother.

Soon, Sonic connected the dots and realized something.

"Oh my God," whispered Sonic.

"What?" asked Shadow.

"I know who did it," said Sonic.

"Who?" asked Shadow quickly.

"I'll tell you on the way. Come on. Let's go," said Sonic.

Silver and Shadow went over to Shadow's car. Sonic went over to Amy, who was trying to be there for Rouge.

"Amy, I got to go. I got something that I got to take care of," said Sonic.

Amy caressed his cheek. "You're going to go after him. Aren't you?" asked Amy.

"Look, I don't want you to go back to the house. I want you to go to your father's house," said Sonic.

"Why?"

"Because nobody's going to find you in Central City. Now, go," said Sonic.

"Okay," said Amy. She really didn't want to go, but she remembered what she had promised him. She looked over and saw Vector standing across the street smiling at them. Sonic followed her gaze and saw the eccentric crocodile.

"Is he here for you?" asked Sonic, angrily.

"No, Sonic. Why would you even think that?" she asked.

"Stop the games, Amy. I know that it was you. You broke my heart," said Sonic.

"Sonic, he said he wanted to help you," said Amy.

"You believed him?"

"Yes, I believed him because I wanted you out of the game so bad; so I thought I was helping."

"That's how you help? You help him put a bug in Knuckles' truck?" asked Sonic.

"What? No, I wouldn't help him do that. I wouldn't help him do something like that," said Amy.

"There's no sense in lying now," said Sonic.

"I'm not lying, Sonic. I didn't do that. I told them when Manic's barbershop got broken into. That's it," said Amy.

"What?"

"Vector and Espio came up to me a while ago and asked me if there was anything that I needed to tell them. They said to give them a call if I wanted to tell them something. I didn't tell you because I know how you feel about the police, but for some reason I thought that they could help me; so when Manic's barbershop got broken into, I gave Vector and Espio a call. I thought that they was going to help you, but all they did was harass you that day. I then thought that all they did was use me to get to you. Sonic, I swear that was all I told them. I didn't say anything else," said Amy.

"Alright. Alright. I believe you," said Sonic.

Amy came closer to him and put her head on his chest. He caressed the back of her head. "I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't set Knuckles up. I swear it."

Sonic could tell that Amy was just as bothered by this whole thing as he was. That was why he wouldn't let her go home. He had to finish some business and knew that Amy wouldn't be safe until he was done.

"I got to go now. Remember: No questions asked," said Sonic before Amy could object. "I'll see you later."

Sonic left his wife and ran over to Shadow's car. He got into the passenger's seat. Then, Shadow drove off.

* * *

"Alright. So who did it, Sonic?" asked Silver.

"Locke," he replied.

"Locke? Why the fuck would Locke want to kill Knuckles?" asked Shadow.

"Benny sent him. He knew that Locke could get close to him," said Sonic.

"How the hell did he know that?" asked Silver.

"Locke was Knuckles' father," said Sonic.

"Damn!" said Silver.

"That's what that L-O stands for," said Shadow. "Son of a bitch!"

"Yep. Knuckles was trying to let us know who murdered him," said Sonic.

Shadow stopped his Parisienne at a stop sign. He, Sonic, and Shadow were all getting their pistols ready. They didn't see a car pull up right behind them. A falcon got out of the car. He had a 12 gauge shotgun in his hand. He shot at Shadow's car, breaking the back window. Silver ducked. The shell barely missed him. There was another bird, a peacock, sitting in the driver's seat. He had a shotgun as well. He put a hole in Shadow's trunk. After that shot, Shadow tucked and rolled from his seat in the car and began to fire back with his pistol. Two more birds with pistols got out of the back door and began shooting at them. Silver stuck his gun through the broken glass of the back window and shot off some rounds. Sonic then got out on the passenger's side and shot at the assailants. Then, Silver jumped out of the back seat. They stood next to each other, firing their guns with pinpoint accuracy. The falcon was the first one to fall. He fell on the driver's door. Then, the peacock with the shotgun was killed. Silver put two bullet wounds in his chest, which caused him to drop. All three of them shot the robin who was foolish enough to face them head on. They each shot him. The power behind the bullets knocked him off his feet and onto the hood of the car. A golden eagle tried to sneak around the side of the car with a pistol. Shadow was happy to make him drop on the sidewalk. One bird was left. Sonic took the honors of sending him to hell with a bullet between the eyes. He fell down behind the car he drove in. There was one guy still alive on the ground. Sonic walked up to him and shot him in the chest, killing him instantly. Then, Sonic kicked the dead corpse a few times, letting out his fury over losing Knuckles.

_One string is pulled as the quilt begins to unravel_

_And Knuckles is dead, six feet under, covered by dirt and gravel_

_Now, your travels have led you astray_

_As you stand at the pitchfork of life, deciding which way_

_The four, slain down to three_

_For more, not knowing left from right as tear-filled eyes become query. _

_Now see your determination,_

_It over exceeded your high education_

_And instead you became a street scholar_

_You bet, broke bread, as you knew the other 3 would follow_

_But now you're mind, your aura: melancholy_

_Your reign over Station Square begins_

_Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver_

After killing all of the assailants, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver got into the car and drove off, leaving broken glass and blood behind them.

* * *

Shadow pulled into an alley. Sirens could be heard in the distance. There wasn't any doubt that someone had just uncovered the massacre. They all looked back. One police car rode past them, but it didn't look like it saw them. Once they felt safe, they turned back around.

"I'm going to ask y'all one fucking question, and I need to know the straight-up truth," said Sonic. "Did either one of you let that cop, Vector, put a bug in Knuckles' car the night we left Benny's safehouse?"

"Hell no," said Silver.

"Fuck no," said Shadow.

"He came to see me a couple of days after that, and he had a…" said Sonic.

"A tape," finished Shadow. "It had us on it talking about Benny. Espio came at me with that same bullshit."

"They came at me with that same thing," said Silver.

"They must have gone to Knuckles', too. They came to all of us, hoping that one of us would dime the other three out," said Sonic.

"It almost worked," said Silver.

"I need to hear this from y'all right from your mouths so that we're real clear, and we don't have any problems," said Sonic.

"I didn't have anything to do with no bugs," said Silver.

They both turned to Shadow.

"I wouldn't snitch on my friends, Sonic," said Shadow.

Sonic nodded his approval. Then, there was an awkward silence between them.

"I can't believe he's dead," said Sonic, ending the silent moment "I can't believe they killed my friend."

"All we have is each other now, Sonic," said Shadow. "We need you back with us."

"This shit out here is real. This ain't no motherfucking joke," said Silver.

"I'm with you. Don't worry about that," said Sonic. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

Locke was in bed with one of his hos.

"Mirabelle, I still can't calm down," said Locke, shakily smoking a cigarette.

"Well, if you'd tell me, maybe I could help you," said Mirabelle. She was a sexy brunette hedgehog.

"No," said Locke.

Mirabelle was about to get out of the bed, but Locke grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" asked Locke.

"I'm going to make the money. Where do you think I'm going?" asked Mirabelle.

"Get me a beer before you leave," said Locke.

Mirabelle got up out of the bed and walked into the kitchen. She closed the door behind her. Locke got out of the bed. He was putting his pants back on when the phone rang.

"What's up?" asked Locke.

"Lay low for a little while," said Benny from the other end of the phone.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" asked Locke.

"We missed," said Benny.

"Motherfucker, I told you," said Locke.

"I'll get him. Chill," said Benny. Then, Benny hung up the phone. The dial tone rang on Locke's end.

"Shit! Mirabelle, what's the fuck is taking you so long?" yelled Locke as he put on his shirt.

Back in the kitchen, Mirabelle had just found the last beer in the back of the refrigerator. When she was about to head back to Locke, Silver grabbed her. He covered her mouth with one hand and gestured for her to remain quiet with the other one.

Sonic and Shadow were creeping through the house at a slow pace, careful not to make any noise. They had checked every room in the house but the master bedroom. Sonic raised his finger to his lips.

"Mirabelle!" called Locke one more time.

Outside the door, Sonic and Shadow had raised their guns up at the door. Inside, Locke suspected something was wrong when Mirabelle didn't answer the second time. He grabbed his gun off the table, cocked it, and shot at the door. After six shots, his gun was empty. Sonic and Shadow then entered the room and spreaded shots around. Locke ducked beside the bed to avoid the shots. When Sonic and Shadow stopped shooting, he emerged again from the side of the bed with a gold Lugar. Before he could shoot, Silver came in to help his friends. He shot Locke in the shoulder, making him drop the gun and fall onto the floor. Sonic walked over and put his foot to Locke's throat. Then, he pointed his gun at Locke. Silver and Shadow came beside him and joined him.

"Motherfucker, you had to know that I was coming for your ass," said Sonic.

"I knew. I knew," said Locke.

"Answer one question before you die. How can you kill your own flesh? Your own blood?" asked Sonic.

Mirabelle had come and stood in the door.

"Sonic, please don't," she said.

"Answer me, motherfucker, or you die slow," said Sonic.

"Sonic, don't!!" cried out Mirabelle.

Locke knew that his end had cone. He was willing to accept it.

"He didn't look nothing like me," said Locke.

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver unloaded their full clips into his body. Together, they shot him fourteen times. Mirabelle cried in terror as she watched him die. Sonic looked in a drawer and found a tape recorder. He put it in his pocket. Then, he, Silver, and Shadow all left out of the room. They walked right past Mirabelle without even looking her way. Broken, she crawled over to Locke. His eyes were still open, but there was no life in them. Mirabelle closed his eyes for him. She was now without a pimp.

_(These are the days of our lives that we're living. We're living the days of our deadliest sins.)_

* * *

Sonic, Shadow, and Silver all gathered around a payphone booth. Sonic went inside while Shadow and Silver stood outside. Shadow had grabbed himself a bag of chips from a convenience store after taking care of Locke. He ate them as Sonic made a phone call.

(Ring)

"Yeah?" said the voice on the other end.

"This is Sonic. Are you looking for me?" asked Sonic.

"I don't believe it. She came through," said the voice. It was Jack.

"Say what you got to say," said Sonic.

"I don't do business over the phone," said Jack.

"If you do business with us, you do business over the phone," said Sonic.

"Yeah? Well, how does fifteen keys at sixteen grand a key sound?" asked Jack.

"That's a lot of weight to traffic all the way across Station Square," said Sonic.

"Well, I'm looking for a new market, and I heard that you could take the weight," said Jack.

"I can only do thirteen grand," said Sonic.

"I can only do fifteen," said Jack.

"We got a deal at fourteen," said Sonic.

"Make it fourteen five then," said Jack.

"I test at random," said Sonic.

"I thought you might try something like that," said Jack.

"Where?" asked Sonic.

"Warehouse 59 on the pier in two hours. After a minute past that, we're ghosts," said Jack.

"We?"

"Yeah. There's four of us," said Jack.

"Alright. I'm three deep," said Sonic.

"Don't keep me waiting," said Jack.

(Click)

Sonic hung up the phone and stepped out of the phone booth.

"They say that they're at a warehouse by the pier. I'm going to get a room at the hotel across the street so that we can keep an eye on them," said Sonic. "I'm not trying to get set up here."

"I agree with you on that," said Silver. "That should be enough for us to get set up somewhere else. I hear that we can relocate real well in Metal City."

"I'm not leaving Station Square," said Sonic.

"I understand what you're feeling, but without Knuckles, we ain't got a choice. We can't win against Benny," said Shadow.

"I'll take my chances," said Sonic.

"Are you still going to go with us to the pier?" asked Shadow.

_Sonic's P.O.V_

Something in the pit told me not to go, and I really meant to say no. I'm going home, but what came out was: "Yeah! I'll go."

"Cool. I'll meet you there. I got to go handle something," said Shadow.

"Don't be bullshitting us," said Silver.

"I'm coming, Silver. Don't worry," said Shadow.

"Alright," I said.

With that said, Silver and I headed towards the pier, and Shadow headed wherever he had to go. _Friends_. Sometimes I think that word is going to kill me.

* * *

_Shadow's place half an hour later…_

_Normal P.O.V._

Shadow was leaving his house with Blaze. They had a few bags packed up to take with them. As Shadow and Blaze headed down the steps, they saw the last two faces they needed to see.

"Aww! Isn't that sweet," mocked Vector. He and Espio were leaning on their detective car. When Shadow and Blaze were down the steps, they got off their car and walked over to them. "Are you going on a little trip?"

"Man, what the fuck do you want?" asked Shadow.

Vector punched Shadow in the stomach, which caused him to kneel over. Then, Vector lifted him up and held him by his collar on his trench coat.

"Where's Sonic?" asked Vector.

"I don't really know," said Shadow.

"Why is it that I think you're lying?" asked Vector.

"Fuck you, Vector," said Shadow.

Vector let go of Shadow and Espio grabbed him.

"Fuck you! You're done. You're history," said Espio. "We know that you're still doing business on Emerald Avenue. Your buddy, Knuckles, got killed behind that shit. Did you know that?" Espio was loving every moment of this. "You brought down your whole fucking crew with that shit, but we can help you get away without a trace."

Espio let go of Shadow and Vector grabbed him again.

"We know that you have an outside contact with that new heavy hitter in town and that you're doing a little bit of business down at the pier today. What's his name? Jack? Am I right?" asked Vector.

Shadow remained silent. This earned a smile from Vector.

"I'm right, aren't I?" he said.

"I'm listening, motherfucker," said Shadow.

Blaze was quietly listening in on the whole thing.

"Whatever you make from that deal is yours. You just make sure that Sonic is there when it all goes down and at least one of those Cuban motherfuckers winds up dead so that we can pin it on Sonic. You call us when it happens and hold him there until we arrive. You do that and you can walk away with whatever you're holding a free hedgehog," said Vector.

"Why do you want Sonic so bad?" asked Shadow.

"Knuckles' the muscle and Sonic's the brains. Without him, you wouldn't have made it past sixteen without a rap sheet as long as your arm," said Espio. "He's going down, and we're the ones bringing him down. You and Silver are just excess baggage. We don't give a shit about you. Knuckles is already dead. We want Sonic. Besides, it was Sonic who planted that bug in Knuckles' car that night," said Espio.

"Man, that's bullshit," said Shadow.

"Why? Because he said so? What the fuck else do you think he's going to say? It was him," said Vector. "He knew that you couldn't win a war against Benny. He's just doing what he always does, covering his ass."

"Well, maybe I'll take my chances of getting out of here without you," said Shadow.

"Why? So you can split the take with Sonic and Silver? There ain't going to be much left for your little honeymoon over here with Miss Bim from Bo," said Vector. "Can you live with that?"

"You see, our way allows you to take all the money and the drugs for that matter. I don't care. You slip out of town, nice and easy, we get Sonic, and we leave Silver to deal with Benny. Everyone goes away happy," said Espio.

"We're going to need the money, Shadow," said Blaze.

This earned a smirk from Vector.

"What's it going to be, Shadow?" he asked.

"You'll know when I call," said Shadow. "IF I call."

"That's not good enough. We need to know now," said Espio.

"Look, we do it my way or we don't do it at all," said Shadow.

"Alright," said Vector.

Shadow turned to walk off. Blaze tried to follow him, but Espio grabbed her arm.

"Hold on, there. I'll just hang onto this as an incentive for you to do the right thing," said Espio. "Come here, baby."

Shadow walked over to Blaze and gave her a kiss. "It'll be alright," Shadow reassured her.

Shadow walked off. He had a lot to consider. Espio nudged Blaze over to the detective car and placed her on the back seat.

"Do the right thing, Shadow!" yelled Vector over to Shadow.

Shadow looked back one last time at them before he was finally out of sight.

* * *

_What will Shadow do? Wait until my next update to see. The more reviews I get, the faster the update._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	10. Family

_Well, that last chapter was the end of the flashback. Now, we're back in present tense. Remember that in the first chapter, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver had a drug deal to make. I sorta skipped around in that chapter because you didn't know the background to the story. Now that you do, I'm going to finish this._

_

* * *

_"Hey, aloha. What's up, fellas?" greeted Jack. Cigar smoke came out his mouth as he spoke.

"What's up….Jack," Sonic said, keeping his cool and blank expression.

Jack pointed at the briefcase that Shadow was holding. "Is that the money?" he asked.

"It ain't my laundry," Sonic replied.

"Well, then, let's see it," he said.

"The shit first, papi," said Silver.

"You're cautious, huh? I like cautious." He turned to one of his enforcers, who was also holding a briefcase. "Pedro, show them the _shit_."

One of the hedgehogs undid the buckles on the briefcase and revealed 20 keys of yayo. (That's 20 kilograms of cocaine.) After he was sure that we had had a good look, he closed the briefcase.

"Why don't you hedgehogs do what you do best and show me the money," he demanded as he took another puff of his cigar.

Sonic looked at Shadow, which gave him the order to do so. Shadow undid our briefcase and revealed their 14 million dollars of cold, hard cash.

"It's all there," Sonic said.

Jack took a look at the money. Then, he took a look at Shadow.

"Yeah, your money's good, but your partner here looks like he has a problem. What are you so nervous about, homes?" he asked.

He simply said, "It's all good."

One of the Cuban hedgehogs that had a scar on his face gripped his semi-automatic Uzi a little tighter.

"Silver, check the shit. Let's get the fuck out of here," Sonic said.

The Cubans all stepped to the side and allowed Silver over to the table where they had set their yayo. Silver set down his gun and began the tests. The tests were to make sure that the yayo was pure.

Silver had set his gun too close to a bottle of Samuel Adams beer that was also on the table. The bottle began to rock around the table in a circular motion. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion as they saw the bottle fall down onto the table. The bottle slowly rolled towards the end of the table. Shadow had broken out into a cold sweat. Silver stopped the tests and looked over at the bottle as it fell to the floor. When it smashed, it seemed that Shadow had smashed with it.

Shadow pulled out his two pistols and started shooting at the Cubans. Suddenly, the Cubans started to scatter and shoot back. Silver flipped the table over and took cover behind it while Sonic and Shadow took cover behind two pillars in the warehouse. Jack shot at Shadow. The bullet barely missed him. Time must have slowed down around him because when he turned sideways, he was watching the bullet pass him. Shadow continued to shoot at the Cubans with blind rage. While taking cover, Sonic shot one of the Cubans in the chest that had a Spas 12 shotgun. He dropped in a heartbeat. Another Cuban hedgehog with an Uzi shot at Sonic. Sonic hid behind the pillar while Silver rose from behind the table and put a bullet in the Cuban hedgehog's lung. Then, Silver hid behind the table to reload. Another Cuban hedgehog wielding a 12 gauge shotgun shot through the table at Silver. The bullet pierced the table and hit Silver's leg. Luckily, the table absorbed most of the blow; however the shell from the 12 gauge did manage to leave a stinging sensation in Silver's leg. Silver screamed and began to hold his leg.

Sonic dropped one of his clips while he was shooting at Jack. He took cover. Shadow took up his slack by firing at Jack while Sonic hid. The other Cuban with the 12 gauge had a gun jam; so he ran towards Sonic. He went for the table, planning to jump over it. Somehow, Silver managed to stand up. When the hedgehog reached the table, Silver scoop slammed the hedgehog onto the ground. Shadow did a tuck and roll, grabbing Sonic's clip that he dropped and tossing it to him. Then, he shot the hedgehog that Silver had slammed in the shoulder and chest. Jack had run out of bullets and needed to reload. Sonic was working on loading the clip that Shadow had tossed him. Sonic and Jack both got their clips in at the same time; however it was Sonic who was able to fire first. He shot Jack three times in the torso, making Jack's eyes get wide. Jack dropped his gun and fell to the floor. He coughed a few times before finally dying.

Sonic came from hiding, and Silver got up from the floor. Shadow walked away from them. Blood was all over Shadow's shirt.

"What the fuck did you unload on them motherfuckers for?" asked Sonic.

Shadow held his gun at Sonic and Silver. "There's been a change in plans." He took out his cellular phone and dialed a number.

"What the fuck are you doing, Shadow?" asked Silver.

"Yeah. It's done. Come and get him," said Shadow. He hung up the phone. "I made a deal with Vector and Espio. They're coming for Sonic's ass!"

"You bitch ass motherfucker," said Sonic.

"Tell me you did not do that, Shad," said Silver.

"They cornered me earlier, Silver, right after I left y'all," said Shadow.

"Come on, Shadow. You and Sonic are the only family that I got. Do not do this," pleaded Silver. "Put the gun down."

Shadow did not say a word. Sonic and Silver just looked at him.

"Don't look at me like I'm fucking Judas standing over here, Silver. He doesn't give a shit about us! He never did!" yelled Shadow.

"I gave up everything for you, Shadow," said Sonic.

"Everything you did, you did for you. Silver and I were just pawns in your little game," said Shadow.

"Put the fucking gun (gunshot) down!" cried Silver. His eyes grew wide on impact, and his voice cracked.

Shadow had pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit Silver. Sonic was right behind him. He was able to catch Silver before he hit the ground. He was still alive, staring at Shadow. Blood was coming out of his chest and his mouth, however.

"What the fuck, Shadow? What the fuck is wrong with you? We're family, and this is how you're going to treat us?" said Sonic.

Shadow just stood there. He looked like he was getting ready to cry. He had a shocked look on his face.

"I didn't mean to do that. You know not to move when I got a fucking gun in my hand, Silver. You know that shit!" said Shadow.

Shadow paced the floor for a few seconds as they shared an awkward moment. He had one of those looks of grief on his face. Sonic was still holding Silver.

"Silver…. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Shadow held his own gun up to his head as he began to cry.

Silver began to shed tears too. "So am I." Silver held up his gun and shot Shadow in the chest.

"Uhh!" groaned Shadow. Shadow immediately dropped his gun. He felt the spot on his body that Silver had shot him. It was in the center of the white spot on his chest (A/N: Yes. Shadow's still wearing his trench coat and suit). Shadow didn't say another word. He looked down at the bullet wound. Then, he shakily fell to the ground and didn't move anymore.

Silver lowered his gun as his eyes began to close. Then, his head drooped down.

"Silver? Silver?" cried Sonic, but there was no response.

Sonic began to cry. His best friends were gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. The words of Shadow still went through his head as he wept over Silver's still body. He lowered Silver to the ground, took off his coat, and draped it around Silver. Sonic knew that he could not stay here. Vector and Espio were on their way. He took one last look at his friends, grabbed the suitcases of money and drugs, and got out of there.

* * *

Vector and Espio arrived five minutes later. They slowly walked up to the massacre that lay before them.

"Oh my God! Shadow!" cried Blaze. She ran over to her fallen love's side and wept over his body.

Vector and Espio just looked around, trying to find some evidence. Blaze looked up.

"What now?" she asked.

Vector took out his gun and shot her like she was nothing. Her head lay right next to Shadow's. Vector then went over and squatted at the dead lovers. He threw the gun down beside Shadow, took out his phone, and made a call.

"Yeah, it all went down. They're all dead except…" started Vector.

On the other side of the phone was no other than Benny.

"Except what?" asked Benny.

"The money and the drugs are gone," said Vector.

"Sonic?"

"He's gone, too."

"What about Blaze?"

"She's laying here right next to her boyfriend."

"You fucked up on Sonic, cop. I'll take care of it myself, motherfucker," said Benny. He hung up the phone in Vector's face.

"Come on, Espio. Let's get out of here. These fucking bird-brains don't know what they want," said Vector.

* * *

_Unexpected? It should have been. If you like this, wait until you see the conclusion. That's my next update. Thank you to all my supporters._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


	11. Endgame

The finale is finally here

_The finale is finally here. With all of his friends dead, what will Sonic do next? Well, read on down._

_

* * *

__Sonic's P.O.V._

I found myself in a café a few hours after leaving the warehouse. Except for an old war veteran and what appeared to be a college student, the café was empty. I sat in a corner, deep in thought. Above me was a painting called _Broken Dreams._ The painter doesn't know how right he was. My dreams were broken, and there was no way for me to fix them. There was only one thing I could do.

I grabbed the briefcase full of drugs and our exchange money and put on some dark shades. I didn't want anybody looking me in the eye because I was about ready to kill someone even if they just gave me the wrong look. I also did not want anyone to see the broken hedgehog behind these shades. I was heading for Benny's downtown office as I walked down the street. My first thought was to walk up in there and just kill everyone in the room. My gun was already in my hand, too. My friends had died behind this shit, and a part of me died, too.

I walked right into the building. No one said a word to me as I passed them and headed for the elevator. They better not have. I stood in the doorway of Benny's office shortly after. Benny, Wren, Jet, and Storm were all standing behind Benny's desk, laughing and talking. I walked right in. The blood of Silver was on my shirt. They finally looked at me and I pointed my gun at them all.

"Don't move," I said.

Wren, Storm, and Jet stopped moving as I approached. Benny just sat at his desk with a hateful look on his face as smoke came from his beak. I wished those cigars would kill him.

I placed the suitcases next to each other on his desk and backed off, still holding the birds at gunpoint to make sure they didn't try anything funny.

"What's this?" asked Benny.

"Open it," I said.

Benny turned the suitcase towards him, undid the buckles, and revealed the fresh coke that I retrieved from the Cubans.

"It's yours," I said.

"If you say so," said Benny.

"I got every reason to kill you. Stop moving, motherfucker!"

Wren was trying to get to his gun, but he stopped once he saw that I saw him. His hands dropped back down to his side. Jet was watching closely.

"That's not what I came here for," I continued.

"I'm happy to hear that," said Benny, sounding like he really didn't give a shit anyway. "While we're on the subject, what made you come here in the first place?

"Two reasons: First, I wanted to show you that you could not beat me, which brings me to number two. I want to get out of the game. I want my life back. I'll stay in Station Square, but I'm out of the drug game forever," I said.

"How do I really know you're out?" asked Benny.

"The briefcase, the money, and if that's not enough," I said. I took off my shades and turned the gun around in my hand so that the barrel was facing me. I placed the gun on top of the suitcase with it still facing me.

Wren, Storm, and Jet all pulled out their guns and aimed them at me.

"Chill," Benny said.

It looked like Jet was about to shoot me, too. He was so ready to do it.

"I will walk out of here and the slate is clean between us," said Sonic.

"What makes you think that I'm going to let you walk out of here?" asked Benny.

I turned to walk out the door. Storm, Wren, and Jet all cocked their pistols and pointed at me. I stopped walking.

"Two reasons: First, I know that you respect me too much to shoot me in my back," I said.

Benny started laughing. I guess he thought that it would intimidate me, but it failed miserably. He stopped laughing once he saw that I wasn't falling for his bluff.

"What's the second reason?" he asked.

I pulled a tape recorder out of my pocket and pressed play.

_On tape…_

"_I want you to do something for me," said Benny._

"_Shit, what do you need?" asked Locke._

"_I want you to kill Knuckles," said Benny._

"_Knuckles who?"_

"_How many Knuckles do you know, motherfucker?"_

"_Shit, I can't do that, man."_

"_You have no choice."_

"_Shit, he's my son, Benny. You know that. I mean, I ain't been much of a father to him, but I can't kill him."_

"_Yeah. That's why he won't be expecting it."_

"_Well, I won't do it. Go ahead and shoot me. Kill me right now. I don't care. Fuck it."_

_Benny started laughing in the same way that he laughed at me a minute ago._

"_You know that's not my style, Locke. I got better ways than that," said Benny. "Remember about fourteen years back. You had a little cutie that used to work for you. What was her name? I bet you didn't know that she was in a car that almost hit your son that night."_

"_Monica," said Locke._

"_Yeah. Monica. It's a shame that she turned up dead. They found her body a couple of blocks away behind Sam's old place if I recall."_

"_Her boyfriend did it after he found out that she was hoeing. I didn't have anything to do with it," said Locke._

"_No, I think you did it; at least, I can have my people make it look like you did it. They never caught the boyfriend, and there ain't no stature limitations on murder," said Benny._

"_I've done time before," said Locke._

"_Not for murder you haven't, and this is Murder One," said Benny. "Wait until the DA finds out that a big, echidna pimp turned out a lily white rabbit and then killed her. Shit, you'll be lucky to get life, and that's hard time, too. You'll spend the rest of your motherfucking life in a rat-infested cage. Now, think about that and consider your options. It's either your life or the life of a motherfucker that don't mean anything to you. Your life ain't much, but it has to mean something to you. Now, we can avoid all this by you doing me this one simple favor."_

"_He's my son, Benny," said Locke._

"_You brought him into this world, and you're going to take him out of it. I want it done before the week is out," said Benny._

"_Sonic's going to come after me with everything he's got," said Locke._

"_Don't worry about Sonic. We got a little party planned for that little motherfucker right after Knuckles' funeral," said Benny._

_There was a long silence between them. _

"_Do you need an ashtray?" asked Benny. "Don't drop any ashes on my Persian rug."_

"_Alright. I'll do it," said Locke in a low voice._

"_Get the fuck out of my sight," said Benny._

_Footsteps were heard leaving the premises._

_End tape…_

I clicked the stop button.

"Vector and Espio put a wire on Locke in case you tried to cross them. Locke made a copy of the tape," I said as I turned back around to face Benny. "The cops worked for you the whole time, didn't they? That's how they were able to put the bug in Knuckles' car. You told them that we were going to be here. That was the real reason you wanted us here." I smirked. Jet, Storm, and Wren still had their guns pointed at me. "The cops were smart. They didn't talk the whole time the tape was playing, and you didn't mention them by name. That leaves you to take the fall all by yourself."

"Put the motherfucking guns down," said Benny. Jet, Storm, and Wren all lowered their weapons. Benny stood up. It's funny because he never stood up at me before in his life. I tossed the tape recording at his desk.

"You keep that as a souvenir. I got others. I got a lot of others. I told you that you could not beat me," I said. "It was nice seeing you, however."

I walked out of Benny's office and out of his life forever. There was a small breeze going through my spines as I sighed and got into my car. I told Benny that I had beat him, but I was as big a loser as he was. My parents were strangers to me now. Sonia was hanging on by a thread. I miss Silver and even Shadow, who was in some ways closer to me than anyone. Deep down inside me, I think Shadow was right. I didn't do it for friendship. I did it for myself. He was the only one that figured that out. I think that's why he was so angry. Knuckles: I knew something had been haunting him all these years. His mother's words still ring in my ears. I should have been there, but I couldn't save him this time. I'll miss him the most. The family that I had known for the last fourteen years was dead, and there was no one to blame but me. The thought of that was just too much to take.

I stopped at the stop sign and just started pounding the wheel in anger. I felt like dying myself. I let out a few loud screams and swears as I sat there in my car, mad at the world. I finally put my head on the wheel. I must have been too wrapped up in my misery to notice that a car had pulled up behind me. He walked up to my car window.

"Hey, are you moving on or what?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sorry," I said in a low voice.

I put my car back in drive and continued driving. After a few more hours, I pulled up in a yard. Amy was waiting for me on the porch with a smile on her face. She hurried down the steps, and we embraced each other with a hug and a small kiss. The guy just didn't know how right he was. I was moving on. I regret a lot of the things I've done. Maybe if we never took that stash from Mephiles that day, none of this would have happened. Maybe he'd even still be alive today, but don't get it twisted. I'm not apologizing for any of it. If I had it all to do over again, knowing what I know, I'd do it exactly the same way. My past makes me who I am, right or wrong, good or bad. It was just who we were.

* * *

_Alas this is the end of this fic. I had fun writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please send me a review of this final chapter and tell me your overall impression of this story. Now, I've got to think of a way to finish my other story. I'm out._

_ICY KNUCKLES_


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